


The Obsidian Realm

by Zeelian



Series: The Eternal Universe - Children of the Shamarai [7]
Category: Fantasy – Fandom, Original Work, Science Fiction - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Artificial Intelligence, Demon Languages, Demonic Flora & Fauna, Dragon Reproduction, Familiars, Interspecies Sex, Multi, Pack Building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:13:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 30,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24041884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeelian/pseuds/Zeelian
Summary: With the pack settled in and and his heat behind him Takeshi sets out to show his pack the wonders of the Obsidian Realm.
Series: The Eternal Universe - Children of the Shamarai [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1414114





	1. Dragonsong

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dragonsong_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Emelie took a look at the enchanted hourglass and decided it was time to wake Takeshi up so they could begin preparing for meeting Tamalu.  
“Relyn, would you go wake Take please.”  
“Isn't he still in heat?”  
The somewhat concerned tone made her smile.  
“Mhm, but don't worry, it's the last day and he has excellent control. He won't do anything apart from screwing you silly and maybe call you a few odd names depending where in the sleep cycle he is when you wake him.”  
For a moment Relyn looked somewhat bewildered, then he realized what she was actually saying, offering him.  
“I will. Thank you.”  
Emelie just smiled at the eager energy in Relyn's aura as he headed toward the far end of the garden den where Takeshi was sleeping with Takara and Isabelle curled against him.  
  


“Time to wake up.”  
Relyn was careful not to startle the sleeping children, or their alpha.  
“Is it time to get up already?”  
Takara complained softly while yawning widely.  
“I don't know if Em wanted you girls awake too, but she asked me to make sure your alpha is awake.”  
“Okay, guess I'll take Belle and go ask her.”  
“That's probably a good idea,”  
He waited for them to leave before approaching Takeshi in a slightly more forceful manner, sensing that he was now only pretending to be sleeping.  
  


“Your soulmate was quite adamant that you not oversleep, she intends to meet Tamalu at sunrise.”  
For a moment there was no reaction, then suddenly Relyn found himself knocked to the ground by a growling alpha, but just as Emelie had said there was no aggression in the growl and he found himself quickly losing his clothes.  
He didn't mind the rather forceful way he was being handled, and a nip at the mark he carried made him submit instantly.  
“Alpha, please mind my wings, I need to be able to fly.”  
Takeshi just growled at him, but Relyn could feel their position change slightly to take most of the strain off the wings and he thanked him with a soft trill.  
The edge of Takeshi's heat added a whole new dimension to the sex, and he found himself enjoying the smoldering intensity, and hoping that he would one day be able to be there for the whole heat.  
By the time they joined the others breakfast was already spread out over the tables in the center of the garden and everyone was having their fill in the usual chaotic manner.  
  


“How about you, will you be joining us?”  
Takeshi nudged Lucifer who was half asleep after having left in the middle of the night to get some work done.  
“I'm sorry, I have way too much that needs to be done.”  
“Okay, too bad.”  
“I'm sending Relyn with you though, since he has bonded so well with you and the pack I'm assigning him to you while you're in the demon realm.”  
The bright joy in Relyn's aura had everyone smiling, and thanking Lucifer for the added security, which of course was just as much an excuse as the assignment was.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dragonsong_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Don't forget to take proper breaks.”  
Takeshi half scolded Lucifer as they said their goodbyes.  
“Give this to Mieni in the kitchen, she's really good at making it, she can make it the way you like it.”  
Amanda offered Lucifer a sizable jar of his favorite tea blend.  
“Thank you Manda, I will make sure to have her serve it regularly.”  
Taking the jar he turned to Anne and accepted her hug with a hug of his own.  
  


As the group began to walk away Lucifer gently took hold of Amanda's shoulder and leaned in to whisper in her ear.  
“You make sure to take some time to sing.”  
Looking up at him she noticed the silver swirl in his eyes so she nodded and promised she would before thanking him and hurrying to catch up with the others.  
“So, what did he want?”  
Amanda found herself faced with a swarm of teasing questions.  
“You're not supposed to share the guidance of a Seer if they take precautions to tell you in private.”  
She dodged their questions with a teasing smile.  
“She's right you know.”  
Miri backed her up when the others tried to pester her for more information and that silenced the questions, but not the grumbling complaints.  
  


“Tamalu are you good to head out today?”  
Emelie greeted the demoness milling about outside her store with a wide smile.  
“Of course!”  
She set the potted plant down and called for someone inside the shop.  
“I'll be heading out now so you take care of the store.”  
“I will, don't worry.”  
The pack waited patiently while Tamalu did a last minute checklist, fuzzing about various details for her animals before joining them.  
  


“So, where to?”  
Emelie chirped happily, waiting for Tamalu to lead them to the place she wanted to show them.  
“Well, first we need to decide if you wanna take the eastern or western route out of here, the western route is a bit longer, but only two rivers to cross and good winds for flying.”  
“Were heading up to the coast, right?”  
“Mhm, out at sea north of the eastern river outlets there is a floating archipelago that is home to a very healthy colony of lesser dragons.”  
“We just visited the eastern rivers so can we go west?”  
“Maybe have a quick look at the orchards?”  
“Yeah!”  
The pack quickly offered their thoughts on the matter and soon they agreed they would go out through the western gate and head north to the sea.  
“It will probably take us the better part of two days to get there, three if you want time to look around a bit.”  
“We have plenty of time so if you're okay with taking the scenic route we would love to give the pack a chance to see the sights.”  
Takeshi and Emelie both wanted to show the pack everything they had seen during their first stay in the Demon Realm.  
  


“I have made arrangements so I can be away for several moons, I just need to drop by my place for some supplies so I can hunt and fish.”  
“We have made sure to stock our warehouse with food that can easily be brought in via teleportation circle, enough to sustain the pack for a year so we will make sure you have plenty to eat as well.”  
“You plan well...”  
“I was raised to be a guardian and survivor, it was harsh, but it taught me many useful lessons.”  
Takeshi brushed the compliment off in his usual manner.  
“Tough times are good teachers.”  
Tamalu agreed with a diplomatic air, she had heard about his past.  
“That they are.”  
Takeshi hummed in agreement.  
“So it's decided then?”  
Emelie nudged both of them softly to break their solemn mood.  
“Yeah, we go west.”  
“Are we stopping by the orchard?”  
Carol repeated her request about seeing the large orchard that sprawled across the land between the northernmost of the western rivers, the Obsidian mountains, and the sea.  
“Yes Carol, we will be visiting the Northern Orchard.”  
Takeshi reassured her with a smile.  
  


Carol had loved the Obsidian Orchard where the purple and silver version of the elusive Shiiza was cultivated along with the fruit-bearing willow trees that were unique to the Obsidian Halls and it's artificial light.  
The Northern Orchard was home to a wide range of fruit trees that produced most of the fruits for the Obsidian Halls, the banks along the central river with it's wide curves were also home to a lot of trees, favoring nut trees with strong root systems that help keep the banks together and prevent the river from changing it's path, making sure that it continued to support the surrounding farmland.  
  


“My my Carol, are you planning on becoming an orchardist?”  
Emelie quipped softly as they headed toward the western gate.  
“Maybe, it seems really interesting, not just fruit trees though, I would love to learn how to grow perfume trees as well.”  
“Then we should make sure to talk to the Orchard Master and see if we can't get you some lessons.”  
Carol instantly broke into a brilliant smile and her steps gained a hint of an extra bounce.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dragonsong_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


They arrived at the Northern Orchard fairly late in the evening and were quickly offered housing at the keep like building that was home to the orchard workers and they quickly accepted.  
The following morning they had a look around the orchard, but they didn't stay very long, instead they headed to the area closest to the mountains where two narrow headlands almost met, creating a narrow strait that was easy to cross.  
“Wow, you have really big wings!”  
Tamalu had always been keeping her wings folded tightly against her back, but now she unfolded them and spread them wide, revealing that they were a lot larger than they seemed.  
She smiled somewhat hesitantly, then a sharp determination entered her aura and with a burst of energy an illusion shattered, revealing scales and brilliant colors.  
“You're dragonkin...”  
Amber's awed tone made Tamalu blush.  
“Probably only half.”  
She tried to deflect.  
  


“No, it's more, I would say one of your parents was half, probably a cross between one of the smaller species and a water elemental, the other was definitely an Anthropomorphic Starblood.”  
Kiryu's words made Tamalu spin around and stare at her gaping, but before she had a chance to say anything Relyn spoke up with a confused tone.  
“What does antr... That thing mean?”  
The pack just smiled at the confusion and Takeshi began explaining.  
“Anthropomorphic means something that is human like. It's often used in the Human realm to describe creatures that look like a mix between a human and an animal, for instance a Naga would be called an anthropomorphic snake, but it could also have legs and the tail of a snake.”  
“Oh, okay. So I guess a lot of demon species would be considered to be this..?”  
“We usually shorten it to anthro, and yes, a lot of demon species would be described as such in human terms.”  
Relyn nodded and hummed to himself, confused, but happy to have learned another thing about humans.  
  


“Are you sure?”  
Tamalu sounded hesitant.  
“I am. You are actually more dragon than I am.”  
“Really?”  
“Mhm, my dame was a dragon and my sire a shadow.”  
While she spoke Kiryu allowed her form to grow, drawing on the abundant power of the realm to grow to a size fitting a dragon of her age and power.  
“Meg, Chagoo, time to get your rascals onboard.”  
She turned her attention to the umarita for a moment and once they were on her back she secured the spawns with her own shadows and walked toward the edge of the cliff.  
“Tamalu, how about we speak more about this tonight?”  
“Okay...”  
One after one the pack shifted into winged forms and after a short flight they landed on the headland of the eastern side of the mountains.  
  


Where the western land was dedicated to farmland to feed the guards and servants of the Obsidian Court, the east was grazing land, both for herds of wild beasts, and and pastures for various domesticated animals, the various grasses and small shrubs were too tough to be suitable as food for most higher species, but it was highly nutritious, making it ideal for grazing.  
The south and far east were dedicated to the land given to the citizens of the Obsidian Realm, dominated by sprawling farmland.  
  


Walking through the various pastures they greeted the occasional herder watching over the domesticated beasts and Takeshi offered each of them some of their time, news from the Obsidian Halls and a small package similar to the provisions given to the Borderlands guards and scouts.  
The packages with spices, bread and orcha were popular treats to anyone who had to remain away from home for an extended period of time.  
  


“Is that a huge tree over there?”  
Dan pointed toward the horizon.  
”It is, we call them Wildwardens.”  
Relyn moved closer to Dan to tell him about the magnificent trees.  
“They can grow larger than any other tree and they give off an aura that makes anyone beneath their crowns unwilling to do harm in any way.”  
“Cool.”  
“We should make our camp there tonight, there is no safer campsite in the wild.”  
Relyn instantly fell silent, concerned that he had spoken out of turn.  
“That's probably a good idea, we need proper sleep so we are rested since we will be flying for quite a while tomorrow without much opportunity to rest.”  
When Takeshi spoke up, agreeing with the suggestion Relyn relaxed somewhat, but he was still a bit tense as he approached slowly, wings carefully held in a submissive position.  
“Sorry...”  
“Relyn, we are not the kind to refuse to consider a suggestion merely because someone isn't pack, or isn't an alpha or beta.”  
“Nor are we foolish enough to fault someone for offering a helpful suggestion.”  
Together Takeshi and Emelie soothed Relyn, they didn't mention that they had already intended to rest at the Wildwarden, they were familiar with the majestic trees from their first stay.  
“Of course you're not...”  
He grumbled softly as they kept walking but the pack didn't let him hide in his own thoughts for very long, instead they drew in into their usual teasing and bantering.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dragonsong_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


As they arrived at the giant tree the pack eagerly began exploring it.  
“It looks a bit like a Japanese maple...”  
“But with flowers.”  
“I can see three kinds of flowers, are they parasitic?”  
The barrage of questions made the demons that were familiar with the tree's shake their heads.  
“Easy, one at a time.”  
After some grumbling the pack gathered on one of the living platforms created from intertwined branches and wines where they could study the various aspects of the tree.  
  


“The tree does flower with three kinds of flowers, it also bears three kinds of fruits.”  
Takeshi settled down to explain about the tree.  
“Em, could you pick one of each type of flower and fruit for me please?”  
“Of course.”  
She quickly did as asked and placed the items on the flooring in front of him and the pack quickly moved closer to have a better look.  
“Wow, those colors are amazing...”  
Like the leaves of the tree the flowers and fruits sported an array of red, orange and yellow.  
  


“The one that looks like the sayuri over my heart develops into the mango fruits. They are highly nutritious and very delicious when fully ripe.”  
Takeshi picked up the flower that looked like a lily, and the large mango fruit with a deep red color highlighted by orange and yellow.  
“These flowers that look like coral tree flowers become clusters of sweet nuts similar to almonds. And the final flower, the one that looks like plumeria becomes those beautiful golden plums.”  
There was a moment of silence, then an explosion of questions, most of them asking if all the fruits were edible, and if they could go pick some.  
“Yes they are all edible and delicious, and yes you can pick some, just remember to make sure to only pick those that almost fall off on their own, especially the mango ones.”  
Picking up the large mango he brought out the short tantō he always carried and began cutting the fruit, revealing the smooth avocado like pit in the middle.  
“Fenrir, you should eat this, it will do you good when carrying.”  
He offered her the pit and she carefully took it from his hand before crushing it in her powerful jaws and making sure not to waste a single scrap.  
  


With a nod and a hum he turned to his newest mate and offered the youkai a slice of the juicy flesh of the fruit.  
“I believe you will find that not even the _Taiyo no Tamago_ can't compare with these.”  
Hiroto eagerly accepted the juicy morsel and the way his eyes widened in surprise, then yielded to the change in color that told him Roto was now dominant made Takeshi smile and kiss him.  
“Ick, too sweet.”  
He mock complained as he licked the juice from Roto's lips which made the primal part of his mate grin, then pounce on him and kiss him hungrily, giving him a rich sample of not only the juices, but the flavor that was uniquely Roto.  
As they usually did, one thing turned to another and by the time the pack returned with a nice selection of fruits and nuts Takeshi and Hiroto were both well sated and resting against one of the massive limbs of the tree.  
  


“Alpha, my mate and I would prefer to take our young to the ground where they can safely explore. But we will not do so if you do not agree.”  
Hearing the voice of the lyrebird that sounded almost exactly like his own always left Takeshi slightly unsettled, but he ignored the bird and focused directly on the umarita sitting in front of him.  
“Chagoo, no need to be so formal.”  
Takeshi chided the umarita softly.  
“If you prefer making camp on the ground then we make camp on the ground.”  
“Oh you don't need to...”  
Chagoo instantly began backpedaling somewhat which made Takeshi shake his head.  
“Pack stays together.”  
Takeshi quipped with a smile which made Chagoo tilt his head in confusion.  
“You may be a satellite pack, but you are mine, and as such you are considered pack for the most part.”  
“As you wish Alpha.”  
Takeshi didn't acknowledge the rather subservient response, instead he just reached out and scratched the spot between Chagoo's ears that he knew the Umarita enjoyed and before long then male laid down and crawled closer until the heavy head was resting in Takeshi's lap.  
  


“Let's move before you fall asleep.”  
Takeshi teased softly and Chagoo rose with a soft whine, not wishing to abandon the pleasant feeling of claws gently scratching his favorite spot.  
“Don't worry, I'm more than happy to spoil you some more once we have settled down.”  
The promise was rewarded with a quick lick at the corner of his mouth which made him tut softly and kiss Chagoo on the nose.  
  


Chagoo, like most umarita males was bisexual, the high prevalence of bisexuality was something Takeshi had noticed early on in his contacts with demons.  
The more long lived a species was the more common it was for them to be not only bisexual, but polyamorous as well.  
A similar effect could be seen in species where there was a gender imbalance, like the umarita, or most dragons, they all showed an increased prevalence of bisexuality and polygamy.  
In the case of umarita and dragons there were a lot more males than females so males commonly formed bachelor groups with homosexual relations, at least until old and strong enough to entice a female to chose them, or win one from another male.  
Both species also commonly had a harem like structure where a female collected a group of suitors that catered to her every need in order to gain the privilege of being allowed to sire offspring.  
In the case of dragons a single clutch of eggs could be sired by several males while the umarita, being part shadow, were able to co-sire offspring, giving their spawns multiple fathers.  
There were also many species with the opposite imbalance where females outnumbered males and the males would have a harem of females, this was in fact the more common case as males tended to be more risk taking and less likely to survive to adulthood.  
Males were also more common in positions like military, guards and hunters where their lives were put at risk to defend and provide for females and children.  
  


In the case of dragons females tended to be highly territorial and other females, even their own offspring, were only tolerated as long as they did not breed.  
But most females died in territorial battles, the victorious female usually killed all the females related to the rival flight, claimed the strongest males for herself, and drove the other males away.  
The daughters of a broodqueen were kept close though as the presence of unfertilized eggs helped hide her own fertile eggs, offering extra protection should a predator or rival flight make it into the lair.  
Takeshi had been somewhat surprised that those practices were pretty much universal for all dragon species, including the greater dragons who were as far above humans as humans were to most animals.  
  


“Everyone, since our dear little umarita rascals aren't very good at climbing, and can't fly, we will be camping down on the ground.”  
“Okay!”  
“Got it!”  
The pack quickly agreed and moments later Ylian's four spawns had gathered on the ground and changed their form into a semi-corporeal cloud that acted as a landing pillow for the umarita pack to jump into, offering a soft and safe landing for the spindly legged spawns.  
It didn't take long for the pack to make camp and settle down among the gnarled roots of the tree and when Chagoo approached Takeshi just patted his lap and the umarita happily settled down to be scratched, noticing the slight glance from Tamalu he turned to her with a smile.  
“Tama, if you feel the need for some physical closeness or comfort I would be more than happy to oblige. While you are our guide we will offer you the comforts of a pack.”  
Takeshi offered his unoccupied arm to her.  
“I _...”  
_ “It's okay. Access to being close with our insane alpha is part of the deal when you become our friend.”  
Emelie reassured Tamalu with a teasing tone.  
“And being mostly dragon you would probably enjoy both his high body temperature and having his compressed aura brush over your wings.”  
While she spoke Emelie gently nudged Tamalu toward Takeshi and with a sigh the dragonkin surrendered and settled beside him and allowed him to pull her closer.  
  


The stiff way she was holding herself bothered Takeshi a bit, and when he began running his hand down her wings she stiffened even further, but there was no feeling of rejection, or fear so he kept running his hand over her wings and after a while the tension broke with a shiver and she slumped against him.  
“See, not so bad to be pampered by an alpha, is it?”  
Emelie kept her tone light and teasing, well aware of just how damned good her beloved mate was with those cursed hands of his.  
“I guess not...”  
Encouraged by Tamalu's acceptance and more relaxed aura Takeshi slowly allowed his touch to change from the gentle calming he had started with into something more sensual and teasing, pulling slight shivers and gentle gasps from her.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dragonsong_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Uhm, Kiryu, you mentioned that one of Tama's parents was a _Starblood_ , what does that mean?”  
Takara was eager to find out more about the female she had more or less adopted as her own.  
“The Starblood are a rare mutation, usually hatched from a black hill or mountain dragon. They have unusually large wings and their coloration tends to be very spectacular, a black base with hints of red, blue and purple, highlighted with specks of pearlescent white, like stars against the night sky.”  
“Sounds really beautiful...”  
“They are, they are also exceedingly rare. The mutation is very rare, and those with this mutation mature very slowly, both as eggs and once hatched, often taking as much as 10 to 20 times as long to hatch, and maturing at a similar rate.”  
”So they are very vulnerable for a very long time?”  
“Yes, most die before they hatch as their eggs are often discarded, believed to be infertile or defective when they don't develop and hatch together with their nestmates.”  
“Oh no!”  
“That's so sad...”  
“Poor things...”  
They quickly pulled closer, expressing their sympathy toward the loss of such rare creatures, sharing their sorrow at hearing about that fate that befell many of them.  
  


“It's unfortunate, but those who do make it to adulthood are very powerful.”  
“Does that mean they are like the Kitsune?”  
“Hmm? How do you mean?”  
Takara's question made Kiryu turn back to her and tilt her head in question.  
“Like how the Yako are rare, but become very powerful to maintain the balance toward then more common Zenko?”  
Takara's question made Kiryu hum softly while she considered it.  
“I don't believe so, but it is possible...”  
For a moment there was silence, then Takara turned to Miri.  
“Miri, I'm a yako, aren't I?”  
For a moment Miri sat in silence, her eyes swirling with gold and silver, the distant feel to her aura telling them all that she was communing with the Fates.  
  


“Yes, you are.”  
Finally having a clear answer Takara looked between Takeshi, Eriko and Hiroto, the ones raised in Japan, fully aware of what the yako represented.  
“Don't worry Taka, you being a yako changes nothing, you are good, pure hearted and caring.”  
Eriko hugged her adopted daughter and tried to soothe her fear.  
“I told you didn't I, that one of my best friends is a yako? He is no more evil than Take or I am.”  
Hiroto didn't care if she was yako or zenko, he knew that most of the perceived maliciousness of the yako came from the way society treated them.  
“Kitsune tradition will place you in the House of Shadows, but that changes nothing in my eyes. You are still Takara of House Shamarai.”  
“And of the Silver House.”  
Eriko added, tradition may move Takara from the Celestial House to the House of Shadows, but she would not permit Takara to be written out of her own, personal House, the Silver House.  
“Thanks. I will try my hardest to stay true to what you taught me, I swear!”  
Power sparkled around her and focused around her tails as a fox oath formed, and with the oath, a third tail grew.  
  


“Wow!”  
“Taka!”  
“You grew a third tail!”  
“I did?”  
Takara twisted around, and true to the excited calls there were now three bushy tails behind her.  
“Mommy! What kind of tail is it?”  
“This, my precious little treasure...”  
Eriko let her voice trail off as she ran her fingers through the bushy but soft tail.  
“This is a clever tail.”  
“Yay!”  
Takara's instant joy made everyone smile.  
“Clever tails are the best!”  
“And why is that Taka?”  
Takeshi challenged the happy foxling with a smile.  
“Because what good is having power if you don't have the brains to use it? Also, if you're smart you can do things without being strong.”  
“Work smarter not harder?”  
Hiroto teased softly.  
“Of course!”  
“Spoken like a true fox.”  
Hiroto laughed then ruffled Takara's hair and gave her ears a gentle tweak.  
  


“May I?”  
He made a slight motion toward her tails which made her blush slightly.  
“Okay...”  
She turned around so that Hiroto could touch her tails without crowding her.  
“Soft and brimming with power. You will make a mighty fine vixen before long.”  
She blushed a bright red, then spun around and bowed slightly.  
“Yamahana no Hiroto will you teach me to be wise like the Tengu?”  
“It would be my honor to guide you, but true wisdom cannot be taught, it must be earned.”  
“I'll try my best!”  
“Uhm guys, not to rain on your parade or anything, but something's coming this way, something glowing...”  
Dan interrupted them and pointed southeast, instantly gaining everyone's attention.  
“Don't worry, we're safe here.”  
Takeshi quickly soothed.  
“Indeed, I know of no creature capable of defying the sanctity of the Wildwardens.”  
Ylian added their own knowledge of the matter and the words made Dan relax a bit, but he didn't look away from what he was seeing.  
“Still makes me nervous...”  
“Sometimes you are more alpha than beta, which is good in a large pack.”  
Ylian hummed and allowed their incorporeal form to wrap around Dan for a moment.  
“It's also a very good thing for the future mate of mine.”  
Ylian's acknowledgement of their intent to become Dan's mate made Dan blush brilliantly.  
  


“Can you see what it is yet?”  
The pack, trusting Dan's eyesight, kept asking him about what he was seeing.  
“Not really, I can tell it's not a single creature, it's a flock of smaller ones, all of them glowing.”  
“Oh, okay...”  
“Everyone, please settle down, we will see what they are soon enough.”  
Takeshi scolded them gently, telling them to be patient and not bother their beta.  
“Okay.”  
“Sorry...”  
The pack did settle down, but the sum of their auras was humming in anticipation.  
  


“I can see them now.”  
“Oh, what are they?”  
“It looks like a flight of mothdragons. Didn't know they could glow...”  
“Mothdragons only glow during their mating flight, if they are coming here, glowing, they are coming here to mate and lay their eggs.”  
Tamalu's voice held awe and wonder.  
“I have never seen it before... They are usually very secretive and shy creatures when it comes to breeding.”  
“In that case we should be prepared to break camp in case the Wildwarden isn't enough to make them feel safe.”  
The pack instantly agreed that they would move if their presence in any way seemed to bother the mothdragons.  
“Angel, I would like you to pay extra attention and make a detailed study on their reproduction. If we leave try to leave a few drones if they don't bother them.”  
“Okay, I will.”  
“Thanks sweetie.”  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dragonsong_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Much to everyone's relief the tiny dragons weren't bothered by the pack, quite the contrary, as soon as they arrived they approached the pack and landed around the various plates and bowls that still held scraps of their latest meal as well pieces of fruit from the tree.  
The small army of dragons made quick work of the scraps and began looking around for more.  
“Aw, how cute.”  
“They seem hungry...”  
“Can we feed them?”  
“Of course.”  
Takeshi instantly gave in and brought in a few containers of food and soon everyone was helping out, cutting meat, fish, vegetables and fruits into bite size pieces, various nuts were also being shelled and offered to the ravenous flight.  
  


“They are really beautiful.”  
Linnéa was taking full advantage of the fact that the dragons were more than happy to sit in her hand in order to be fed small bits of fish scraps, they would even allow her to pet them as long as she didn't try to touch the wings.  
“Indeed they are.”  
Takeshi hummed in agreement as one of them landed on his hand to take the almond like nut he was holding, for a moment he held on to the nut to see what the dragon would do, and when it bit his finger he yelped, then broke into laughter.  
“Cheeky little rascals too.”  
“Maybe you shouldn't tease them then?”  
Amanda scolded with a smile before turning back to the one sitting in her hand, noticing the scars and damaged wings she began singing, channeling healing magics through dragonsong, trying to soothe what seemed to be a very old dragon.  
  


“Take! Kiryu!”  
Amanda's somewhat panicked calls instantly had Takeshi and the ryujin moving to her side.  
“What's wrong?”  
“She just laid an egg in my hand! What should I do?”  
A quick glance confirmed that the dragon with the damaged wings had indeed laid a sparkling green egg in Amanda's cupped hand.  
“Well, you should start by relaxing.”  
“I'm trying to...”  
Picking up on her concern and worry about doing anything that might harm the egg Takeshi sat down next to her and gently moved her into his lap so he could calm her down.  
“Em, would you make us a crystal basket large enough to make a comfortable nest for two or three of them?”  
Kiryu didn't hesitate about what to do.  
“Of course, anything else?”  
“Make it pretty deep and fill it half way with that fire crystal sand you used for Låga's nest.”  
“Got it, nice and warm. Should I add something soft as well?”  
“A little damra wool wouldn't hurt.”  
Kiryu agreed with a nod.  
  


A few minutes later Emelie brought them the crystal basket and set it on the ground in front of Amanda.  
“Here you go.”  
“Thanks Em.”  
Emelie just smiled and brushed the tip of her tail against Amanda's face.  
“Don't worry Manda, you focus on figuring out what to do about that egg.”  
“Well, I'm trying...”  
She turned to Kiryu as the old ryujin clearly had an idea what was going on.  
“Carefully place the egg in the middle of the nest, narrow end up. Try not to jostle it too much.”  
“Alright...”  
Amanda did as Kiryu asked her and the moment the egg was placed in the makeshift nest the dragon that had laid it crawled down to inspect it and pleased with the nest she carefully curled around her egg and settled down.  
“Why would she lay her egg in my hand like that?”  
Amanda kept an eye on the tiny dragon while turning to Kiryu for answers.  
  


“She is the old broodqueen, but she is injured beyond her ability to fully heal, probably from a fight with one of her daughters or a rival broodqueen. She took her flight here for a last chance to lay eggs of her own, when the others leave to return to their usual territory to nest and lay their eggs she won't join them. She will stay here with one or two of her favorite consorts.”  
“Oh...”  
“You tried to heal her, proving yourself to her. In her eyes you register as a young female ready to rise who understands the value of having an old experienced matriarch there to help and guide the new flight.”  
“So she sees me as someone who will protect her and allow her to breed in exchange for her wisdom and experience?”  
“Pretty much, they are lesser dragons so their way of thinking is more animalistic.”  
“Is there any way you can make her understand that I would be more than happy to help her?”  
“You already have the tools you need to do that, sing to her.”  
Nodding slightly Amanda settled down again and began singing, she sang songs of healing and protection, of warmth and calm and as she sang several other dragons came to her and laid a single egg in the crystal basket.  
They didn't stay however, instead the old matriarch carefully nudged the eggs around, moving them closer to her own so that she could wrap around all of them.  
  


“Why are they doing this?”  
Most of the pack were quite confused by the actions of the mothdragons.  
“They know the new queen will not permit them to lay fertile eggs, but most already carry a fertilized one so they lay it now, leaving it with the old queen. That way they not only get to lay a fertile egg that has a chance of surviving, but there is also a chance that the old queen will be able to form a new flight. She may be weakened by her injuries, but she is old and wise.”  
Kiryu calmly explained the actions of the dragons as best as she could and the pack nodded and hummed, agreeing that that did make sense.  
They also all agreed they would protect the old dragon and the eggs to the best of their ability, and unless she objected they would bring them along.  
  


The presence of the mothdragons changed their plans slightly, instead of heading out at sunrise as they had planned to they stayed at the Wildwarden all day, waiting for the tiny dragons to complete their mating flight and return to their own territory.  
Kiryu was proven to be right as the old female with the damaged wings stayed behind together with a pair of males.  
The flight had also left nearly 30 almond sized eggs in the makeshift nest, and so far only two of them were the old matriarch's.  
“Don't worry Manda, I will carry the nest and keep them safe.”  
“Thanks Kiryu.”  
The old ryujin just huffed and altered her form so that she would be able to carry the umarita pack as well as the basket with the nest.  
It was finally time to fly out to the floating islands hidden north of the continent that held the Obsidian Realm.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dragonsong_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“ _Wow, those islands really_ _ **are**_ _floating in mid air...”_  
Linnéa's mental voice was all eager amazement as they finally reached their destination and they could all see one of the, for a human at least, more unique environmental features of the Demon realm.  
Floating islands were actually a pretty common thing in the Demon realm, the abundant prana caused matter to behave differently than in the Human realm.  
  


“Indeed they are, beautiful, aren't they?”  
Takeshi was flying in his dragon form, not only did it allow Miri to ride on his back, but it also allowed him to speak.  
Bran was happily carrying Angel, and Eric didn't mind having Sol on his back as he flew.  
 _“They're amazing...”_  
“We will be landing on that one off on the left, the one with the pond. It is a nice place to rest, and the pond will let Miri return to her true form so she can sleep properly for a bit, then we can start exploring later.”  
Takeshi could feel everyone agreeing with Tamalu's suggestion over the bonds, the former humans all began to tire as they were not used to prolonged flight, something Takeshi intended to change during their stay.  
Miri was understandably exhausted as she had a very hard time sleeping in her new form, but she would probably get used to it with practice.  
  


“Look, there's dragons in the water!”  
Amanda called out eagerly when her inspection of the small pond revealed that it was inhabited.  
“Oh my God they're cute! And tiny!”  
Nelly totally lost her composure when she spotted the small dragons swimming around in the pond.  
“Are those whelps?”  
She turned to Tamalu as she was the one familiar with the area and its inhabitants.  
“No, they are adults.”  
“And so small?”  
The dragons were no more than 20 centimeters from nose to the tip of their tails, and more than half was tail and neck, and the wings when fully unfolded spanned as wide as they were long.  
“Mhm, they don't grow any larger than this.”  
“They are so cute cute cute...”  
The rest of the pack just shook their heads at her antics while they watched her kneeling down at the edge of the water and putting her hands into it, trying to let the small dragons know she didn't mean them any harm.  
“Tama, is it safe to offer them some slices of those fruits from the Wildwarden?”  
“It is, they will be very happy for such a treat. Like most water-dwellers they have an insatiable taste for anything sweet.”  
Tamalu's words instantly had Miri blushing brilliantly, and most of the pack offering a few teasing quips about how accurate that was.  
  


With the water deemed safe enough for Miri the pack quickly settled down to rest, but Nelly was hard at work trying to befriend the dragons, and it was working fairly well.  
“They have an affinity for the water element, and as such their empathic ability is higher than most, they can sense your intent fairly well.”  
Munin explained a bit about the common abilities of creatures associated with the water element.  
“I think all they can feel from her right now is how cute she thinks they are.”  
Dan snickered softly, and Sarah and Maria were quick to agree.  
“Yeah, it's kinda overwhelming.”  
“It feels all sugary sweet though, so maybe that will attract them even more.”  
“Oh, you are empaths?”  
Tamalu blushed for a moment as she realized the question was quite personal, for a moment she hadn't even considered that it may be a bit too much.  
“Mhm...”  
“Indeed.”  
“An admirable trait. I have yet to meet an empath with an unlikable personality.”  
“It does happen sometimes in humans, but I agree, I have never seen it in a demonic being.”  
  


The pack was half asleep when a flare of joy from Nelly told them she had no doubt successfully managed to convince one of the dragons to come to her and looking over confirmed it.  
One of the dragons was resting comfortably in her cupped hand as she gently lifted it out of the water, mindful to keep as much of the liquid as she could to make sure it would be comfortable.  
“Wow, look at those colors! They're almost as vibrant as Dan's.”  
“It is a young male, it's natural for his coloration to be more spectacular to attract the attention of a female to be brought into her flight.”  
Kiryu hummed softly while she spoke and gave the young beta a telling look, he had some quite spectacular coloring and she wished he would show it off more.  
“What?”  
Dan squirmed slightly under her gaze.  
“Oh, nothing, not really. I was just thinking about your dragon form, it's quite beautiful and I sometimes wish you would use it more.”  
“...”  
“I told you once, if you just gain some proper confidence you can have your pick of flights.”  
“And you, would you pick me as a consort for your flight?”  
The question quickly had everyone falling silent and turn to Dan and Kiryu, it was unusually forward of him to ask such a thing and at the same time it was hesitant.  
  


“If I ever complete my ascension flight I would be more than happy to claim you as consort if you accept.”  
She flared her wings slightly before turning to Takeshi.  
“If it comes to that I would very much like to have you as a consort as well.”  
“I'm sure we will find a matriarch willing to take you through the flight. And once you have ascended into a fertile queen I would be honored to be one of your consorts. I think you should have Dan sire your first clutch though, we don't know if he will be able to once his transformation into _Ni Tzi_ is completed.”  
A somewhat spluttering squawk made both of them turn back to Dan who was blushing a brilliant red at the turn of topic.  
“Would you accept that Dan, accept to become sire to my first clutch?”  
For a moment he just kept spluttering, then he took a few deep breaths.  
“Yeah, if you want me to I would be honored to.”  
The rather formal way he was speaking made it quite obvious that he was still highly emotional and unsure of himself.  
“I do want you to become one of my prime consorts.”  
For a moment there was silence, then Nelly, Iðunn, Eir and Linnéa all spoke as one.  
“What's the relevance of a prime consort?”  
“What does prime consort mean?”  
“Prime consort?”  
  


The questions were expected and Takeshi just nodded for Kiryu to take care of explaining it.  
“Dragons don't have packs like Pack Kiryu, instead we have flights, each flight consisting of a dominant female alpha, the Matriarch, and her mates and offspring. Sometimes a flight may be ruled by sisters from the same clutch.”  
The somewhat impatient glares as she started with the basics made her huff, spewing out a small cloud of black shadows.  
“Impatient little whelps.”  
“We just wanna learn more.”  
“Hmpf.”  
There was amusement in the old dragon's tone that told them she wasn't actually upset.  
“The flight does not have alphas and betas the way a pack does, but for simplicity you can consider the prime consorts to be co-alphas, but they are also the mates of the matriarch and a royal guard of sorts. The other consorts are mostly occasional breeding partners. But they will work hard to protect and provide for the flight, hoping to gain more favor and be promoted to primes.”  
“What about betas?”  
“The closest thing to a beta you will find in a flight are the matriarch's older daughters, daughters who have gone through their ascension flight and are able to lay eggs. These daughters are usually not permitted to mate though, so their eggs are infertile.”  
“Oh...”  
“These infertile eggs act as an extra layer of protection for the eggs of the matriarch. And instincts ensure that the younger females will guard the nest and the eggs with their lives.”  
“Because some of the eggs are theirs?”  
“Indeed.”  
They way Kiryu sounded like Takeshi made them smile, but they were not done with their questions just yet.  
  


“But don't they know their eggs are not fertile?”  
“Yeah, aren't they aware that no sex means no kids?”  
“Oh they are, but instincts carry a very strong sway. Also, they will try to breed with the males that haven't made consort, even try to lure one or a few away from the matriarch to start their own flight.”  
“So while the matriarch hides her fertile eggs among their infertile eggs to protect them, they sneak fertile eggs of their own in among them so that the matriarch will care for the hatchlings as her own?”  
“That's right, in the end it serves them all well, males who don't make it as consorts and the daughters of the flight have a chance of breeding and the eggs of the matriarch have extra protection. And the daughters are able to find consorts of their own, males who are willing to risk it all to be with them.”  
“That's pretty smart.”  
“It is. And the instincts governing this behavior are so powerful they carry sway even in greater dragons such as myself.”  
“So after your ascension flight you will have the urge to lay eggs and share a nest?”  
“I will, but I'm old enough to be able to resist most of them.”  
“I hope you get your flight soon.”  
“Mhm, I wanna see what your whelps will look like.”  
“Bet they will be super cute.”  
“Oh dragon hatchlings are adorable, until they start learning how to fly...”  
Kiryu huffed softly.  
“Indeed, once they start testing their wings, they become a menace...”  
Ylian agreed with a snicker.  
“Indeed.”  
Tamalu agreed as well.  
“During fledging season in dragon territory it is wise to always keep an eye on the sky.”  
“Or wear armor and helmet...”  
Ylian quipped in response to Tamalu's words.  
  


“Why is that?”  
“Young dragons are horrible fliers...”  
“And total klutzes...”  
“You mean they crash a lot?”  
“Mhm...”  
“Sounds like fun.”  
“I guess it's okay with small breeds like these, it's a bit worse with the larger mountain breeds.”  
“Definitely, imagine having to constantly be on the lookout for small cars falling from the sky.”  
Munin added with a laugh.  
“That sounds...”  
“Interesting.”  
Takeshi just shook his head at the insanity that was his chosen family while keeping an eye on Miri to make sure she was sleeping properly and as he did he could feel the early signs of exhaustion in Marakell's aura.  
  


“Marakell, you have been neglecting your feeding again.”  
Takeshi's words made Marakell flinch slightly.  
“I'm sorry.”  
“I know, old habits are hard to break.”  
Takeshi soothed gently as he beckoned for Marakell to come join him.  
“You need to work on breaking those habits.”  
“I know...”  
“Come here, let's get you topped off.”  
Marakell didn't hesitate to crawl into Takeshi's offered lap but Takeshi could feel that something was off, the other male was not as responsive as he usually was and it made Takeshi pause.  
“Something is bothering you...”  
“...”  
“Is it your alpha instincts?”  
“It is...”  
“I'm sorry.”  
Takeshi knew it may come to cause issues as Marakell recovered his true strength, but it seemed Marakell had more to say so he kept his silence.  
“I don't mind submitting to you, being claimed by someone as strong as you.”  
Marakell paused for a moment, clearly a bit unsure of how to continue.  
“But your alpha instincts require you to claim as well?”  
“Indeed, and I know you will never be able to allow that. And those willing to let me claim them, I don't dare...”  
“There is another way you know.”  
“Hmm?”  
“Do you think it would satisfy your instincts if someone joined us, allowing you to claim them while I claim you? If I carry the strain of providing raw lifeforce to feed from to supplement your need for power while they help satisfy your need to claim?”  
“That might actually work...”  
“Alright.”  
Takeshi tucked Marakell under his chin before turning to the others.  
  


“Any who feel like helping me feed Marakell?”  
“Help how?”  
Everyone was instantly paying attention.  
“We need someone to let him claim them while I claim him.”  
There was a bit of mumbling but no one seemed to be against the idea as such, they were just debating who would be the best choice to join them in order to not upset the balance within the pack.  
“Why don't you guys let me handle this?”  
Sol quipped with a wide smile.  
“That would be the best option.”  
“Agreed.”  
“Yeah, I think so too.”  
“Indeed.”  
Everyone quickly agreed that it would be perfect if Sol was the one to join them.  
  


“Wow, this is intense...”  
“You have powers similar to mine, do you think you can withstand me letting go and allowing my seductive power to rise?”  
Marakell clearly wanted to be able to just let go and give everything he had.  
“We can try, and I trust Take will protect me in case your power overwhelms my will.”  
“You decide a limit and will see to that it's kept.”  
Takeshi quickly promised and moments later he felt Sol's mind brush against his own, telling him what she was willing to do, and what she did not agree to.  
“Alright, I will make sure that's respected.”  
“Thanks.”  
For a moment she looked at the two males.  
“Is it okay if I let my powers loose as well?”  
“It's fine with me, I would actually prefer it.”  
Marakell instantly agreed.  
“You're not strong enough to break my control now that my heat is over, so go ahead.”  
“Awesome!”  
Sol's happy smile made both males smile back at her and moments later there were soft gasps from the rest of the pack as Marakell and Sol unleashed their powers.  
  


Takeshi enjoyed watching as Sol played hard to get, engaging Marakell in a play for dominance, making him earn the privilege of taking, of dominating, her and it worked wonders for his neglected instincts.  
During their stay Sol had begun to exhibit pack traits, but she had proven herself to be, as she was prone to in many areas, quite unusual, she registered as something between a strong beta and a solitary alpha.  
It was mostly her laid back and somewhat childish nature that made her feel more like a beta, she simply had too much of a whimsical, devil-may-care personality to make a good alpha.  
She might still grow into one though.  
But for now, the way she registered to pack creatures helped further soothe Marakell's instincts.  
  


“How are you feeling? Those instincts settled down a bit?”  
Takeshi trailed the shamarai mark on Marakell's mashen, enjoying how the older demon arched into the touch slightly.  
“I feel great. Thank you Sol for making me work for it. It really helped my instincts.”  
“I definitely don't mind doing this again, that was some pretty awesome sex.”  
There was a slight spike in her power and pheromones as she spoke and remembered, moments later she dug her nails into Marakell's hips and tugged, causing him to snap down toward her and moments later they were at it for another round, but this time Takeshi pulled back slightly, leaving the two to their own devices, only staying close enough to stay in contact with Marakell's aura to keep him from feeding directly from Sol.  
Takeshi knew Sol could handle it, but Marakell insisted he did not want to risk feeding from her so he respected that.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dragonsong_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Miri, are you feeling better?”  
Takeshi gently probed her aura, carefully looking for any signs of fatigue or pain.  
“Yeah, I'm fine.”  
“Ready to head out?”  
“Mhm.”  
Takeshi quickly shifted and lowered himself to the ground so Miri could climb on his back. And once she was settled he rose and walked toward the edge of the floating island where the others had gathered.  
“Alright Tamalu, show us the way.”  
Tamalu nodded and turned to address everyone.  
  


“Remember, this entire area is an unstable vortex of interlaced sections of Borderlands, there are cracks and portals everywhere so if you're not careful you can slip into one crack and right out at the other end of the islands.”  
“We will follow you carefully.”  
Everyone quickly promised to pay attention and be careful.  
“The central island where we are headed is completely surrounded, as if in a bubble. Any attempt to approach it directly will just have you turned around.”  
“Se we need to sneak in through the back door?”  
“I guess you could put it that way.”  
“Awesome.”  
“Sounds fun.”  
“It will be exhausting though.”  
Tamalu cautioned the energetic girls.  
“Huh?”  
“Why?”  
The mood instantly settled back down to focused attention.  
  


“We will be passing through the edges of the Borderlands a lot, going back and forth, entering different regions, and sometimes passing through overlapping regions. This will take a lot out of us, even those who are used to such things will feel drained after a while.”  
“Oh.”  
“Okay.”  
“What if we miss an entrance or slip out at the wrong place?”  
Takara wasn't sure how well she would be able to stay focused.  
“Don't worry, you will just end up at a different part of the islands and one of your alphas can pick you up by shadow-traveling.”  
“Phew...”  
“How many of you can actually shadow-travel with a passenger? If you don't mind me asking.”  
Tamalu looked at the pack with a curious glint in her eyes.  
  


“I can with ease, as can Em, Ylian and our rascals. Gere, Freke and Kara have the control to do it, but I'm not sure if they have the power yet, while Yami has the power, but is a bit spotty on the control, the same goes for Dan. I'm sure both of them are able to though if they are sufficiently motivated.”  
“Motivation such as saving a packmate?”  
“Indeed.”  
“How about we all try to make sure no one needs saving?”  
Emelie quipped softly.  
“Yes alpha.”  
“We will try.”  
They quickly promised to be careful and pay close attention to Tamalu's guidance.  
  


Takeshi watched as his family carefully followed Tamalu as she navigated through the swirling mass of cracks, weak spots and intersecting realms, the entire area was filled with dimensional eddies and vortices of raw energy.  
He was slightly concerned despite Tamalu's powerful oath that while it could be unpleasant and disorienting it was perfectly safe.  
He quickly found that it was indeed very disorienting, they could follow one dimensional current into a crack, pass through a narrow section of borderlands and be spat out 50 meters left of where they entered, but now located in a completely different current.  
Sometimes a single current would bring no more than 10 meters from where they started, and sometimes they would appear less than 100 meters from where they entered, and sometimes they exited on the other side of the islands.  
  


They had been moving through the invisible maze for about two hours when Tamalu lead them toward a larger island closer to the center and landed in a meadow with soft, short pale green grass and tufts of a longer, tougher looking grass with deep metallic blue leaves and large, bold red and orange tufts on tall stalks.  
There were also several gnarled trees spread around, each of them sporting silvery white leaves and bold red fruits and spread over their roots were tufts of red grass with pure white berries.  
  


“We will be resting here until morning, Part of the upcoming passage is only open during the last mark of dawn and this is the best place to make camp before we get there.”  
“Alright.”  
The pack quickly made camp and settled down, true to Tamalu's warning they were all rather tired from the exposure to the errant energies of the area.  
“Are those fruits and berries safe to eat?”  
Emelie gave Tamalu an expectant look.  
“Yeah, they are really good, that's one of the reasons why this island makes such a good place to rest. The plants here produce a lot more fruit than the local dragons can ever eat.”  
”So it's okay for us to pick a fair amount?”  
“Yeah, you can pick all the ripe fruit if you want to, there are wines with fruits clinging to the underside that the dragons prefer, those are also safe and very good for you, but they taste very sour and bitter.”  
“Okay.”  
The pack quickly spread out and began to pick the fruits and berries to feast on, but Takeshi and Dan were distracted and soon they gave Emelie, Amanda and Ylian a heads up that they were going to have a look at the underside of the island.  
 _“Have fun boys.”_  
Emelie's tone held a mix of amusement and knowing, telling them she knew perfectly well why they wanted to go to the underside of the island.  
  


“You think these are the ones?”  
Dan pointed toward muddy brown fruit that looked like a cherry and Takeshi quickly picked one that felt ripe.  
“I think so, something about it makes me want to eat it.”  
He didn't resist the urge for long and plopped the small fruit in his mouth and chewed slowly.  
“It's definitely invigorating. I think it may have a mild narcotic effect, possibly addictive.”  
Takeshi carefully monitored his own reactions to the fruit.  
“My reaction to it is similar to coffee.”  
The mention of coffee instantly had Dan reaching for one and trying it.  
“I don't like the taste very much, but you're right, it feels kinda like coffee.”  
The fact that he quickly grabbed a handful and started stuffing them into his mouth made Takeshi smile.  
“Remember, we're picking them for Kiryu.”  
The teasing quip had Dan doing a pretty impressive impression of the proverbial deer in the headlights before scrambling to hand him the basket they were going to use for picking the fruits.  
“I think you better carry them, they definitely have some sort of a narcotic effect...”  
“Clearly, they seem to have an effect on you similar to how smelling catnip affects cats.”  
Takeshi was grinning widely at the way Dan was acting.  
“You don't seem to be affected...”  
Dan huffed and grumbled, while picking fruits as fast as he could.  
“Well, maybe it's like with cats where only about three quarters are affected, or maybe it's like with alcohol, my blessed resilience counteracting the substance too fast for it to affect me.”  
“Boring.”  
Dan kept huffing for a bit, then he turned to look at Takeshi.  
“Can we collect some extra fruits, some seeds, and a few of those suckers so we can try to reproduce the plant to study it?”  
“You like the effect that much?”  
“Yeah, I kinda do, somehow I feel like it would be good for me...”  
“Instincts.”  
Takeshi hummed for a moment before nodding in agreement.  
“Okay, if your instincts are telling you to eat them we should study them more closely.”  
“Thanks...”  
Takeshi gave Dan a gentle tap with his tail, unable to do more while they were flying.  
“Why don't you go find a nice pile of suckers while I fill this basket with those fruits?”  
“Alright.”  
He could feel the relief in Dan's aura at being away from the temptation of the ripe fruits, his beta clearly had some mixed feelings about his reaction to them.  
  


“Come on, let's head back to the others.”  
“Coming, coming.”  
  



	2. Island of the Opal Flights

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Island of the Opal Flights_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Kiryu, we have something for you.”  
Takeshi and Dan approached the old dragon who was soothing her instincts by guarding a pile of fruit like a hoard of treasure.  
She instantly perked up and put on a bit of a display by flaring her wings and roaring out a jet of shadowfire, though, at her current size it was more like the flame of a cooking torch.  
“Are you done being a hoard guardian?”  
Dan hung back warily, he did not feel like testing if he could handle her fire, while Takeshi just smiled at the display of instincts.  
“I believe so.”  
She chirped happily before stretching her neck, trying to look into the basket Takeshi was carrying.  
  


“Tama mentioned that the local dragons all prefer these fruits, so we figured there might be something about them.”  
Takeshi held out the basket for Dan who took one of the fruits and offered it to Kiryu.  
She gave the fruit a quick sniff then took a huge bite out of it.  
“Hey, watch the fingers!”  
Dan yelped, but managed to resist the urge to pull his hand back, well aware that doing so might make her actually bite him.  
She just responded by snapping playfully at his fingers, then snagging the rest of the small fruit from his hand and devouring it.  
“This is definitely very good food for a dragon.”  
“I had some and I could barely stop eating them, even if I don't like the taste very much.”  
“That just shows you have good instincts.”  
“...”  
Dan blushed slightly when Kiryu began rubbing against his leg like a cat, rumbling softly.  
“Here, feed her some more.”  
Takeshi handed Dan the basket and soon he was seated on the roots of one of the larger trees with Kiryu in his lap, feeding her slices of the fruits.  
  


Once the group settled down it didn't take long before the local dragons appeared, they were larger than the water dragons on the previous island, but they were still very small, about the size of a large house cat.  
They looked a bit like a cross between a gazelle and a dragon, but their color ran in some rather startling purple hues.  
“Dragons really come in all kinds of varieties, don't they?”  
Linnéa watched the purple dragons inspect their food before wandering off toward the edge of the island to feed on the fruits of the wines.  
“They are a very diverse species.”  
“Clearly.”  
She huffed in amusement and returned to watching as one of the dragons tried to inspect Hrafn's treat, earning itself some annoyed caws and a sharp peck.  
“Hrafn, be nice and share, there is plenty for everyone.”  
“Don't want to.”  
The somewhat mulish tone made Linnéa turn to her familiar with an almost shocked expression.  
“Hrafn...”  
She managed to sound so utterly devastated and disappointed that the large raven instantly froze and wilted visibly, voicing soft purring caws trying to apologize.  
“I thought I had taught you better than that.”  
“You have, sorry...”  
  


When she didn't immediately forgive him Hrafn tilted his head, clearly trying to figure out how to earn her forgiveness, then he perked up a bit, took the piece of dried fruit he had been defending and hopped over to the dragon he had pecked and offered it the treat.  
At first the young dragon looked a bit hesitant, but between Hrafn's posture and the soft, apologetic caws it slowly approached and snatched the treat before fleeing back a few steps.  
“That's better. You be nice to them now and show them you're not some old meanie.”  
“I will try.”  
“That's good.”  
Reaching out she sifted through the feathers on his head and gave him a good scratch, telling him she had forgiven his bad behavior.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Island of the Opal Flights_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Roto, it's your turn to deal with Take's cuddle obsession.”  
Emelie gave Hiroto a nudge toward the tree where Takeshi was resting with a few of the girls, and a pile of baby dragons.  
The local Brood Queen had apparently decided that Takeshi was an acceptable babysitter so she had methodically dumped a sizable gaggle of hatchlings and fledgelings into his lap before taking the flight out to hunt.  
Takeshi didn't mind at all though, he just shifted into a more suitable form for keeping an eye on them, meaning tough hide and scales to protect from sharp claws and fangs, and the occasional practice spew of their breath weapon.  
Tail and wings came in handy to keep the energetic bunch contained, it was far from easy, but with the help of a few of the girls things were reasonably under control.  
  


“Thank you Alpha.”  
It had only taken a few moments for Roto to rise and he gave Emelie a slight bow.  
At first it had confused the youma greatly that the pack spoke of spending their rest in the most favored spot, in Takeshi's arms, as a chore and it did take a while before it understood that it was intended to be teasing humor.  
For the moment they had given Hiro and Roto separate times, allowing Hiroto double the time with Takeshi to help solidify the mating bond, that extra time would gradually be removed though.  
  


As soon as Roto sat down next to Takeshi he was assaulted by the gaggle of baby dragons who eagerly began exploring him, sniffing and licking to figure him out.  
The rest of the pack quickly came together and watched as Roto interacted with the dragons, watching the way his and Takeshi's energies blended and interacted.  
“We really need to find a way to allow those two to have kids, just look at them...”  
Emelie hummed softly while leaning against a tree, carefully brushing her aura against Ylian, encouraging them to feed from her reserves.  
The entire pack had been offering their energy to Ylian, and now, being bonded to them through Takeshi, Ylian happily accepted their support, allowing their reserves to top off their own.  
“Indeed, they make amazing parents.”  
Ylian agreed with a soft smile, focusing the warm emotions that watching Takeshi and Roto dote on the young dragons elicited onto their spawns.  
“We knew about Take, but look at Roto... He's a natural.”  
Emelie 's voice held a hint of awe at the way Roto was interacting with the energetic whelps, the usually highly energetic and impatient youma was calm and patient with the small creatures.  
“Well both of them are highly in tune with their instincts. Roto from what I understand is almost pure instinct, tempered only by Hiro's influence.”  
“Mhm...”  
Emelie hummed softly before brushing her aura against Ylian in a more intimate manner.  
  


“How are you feeling with all this?”  
She gently prodded them to get a better sense for their reactions to her questions.  
“Good, a bit worried, but good.”  
“Worried about what will become of your spawns?”  
“...”  
When Ylian didn't answer Emelie sighed slightly, then began to softly hum a lullaby that Lilith had taught her.  
Ylian struggled to contain their surprise when Emelie began to hum their mother's favorite lullaby while slowly becoming incorporeal and synchronizing to their energies so that she would be able to touch them.  
“Em?”  
“Ssh, relax, allow me to soothe a distressed beta.”  
Ylian fell silent again at her words, carefully examining them, and her energies.  
“Your instincts, they are rising.”  
It wasn't a question, but she nodded anyway.  
“According to the palace healer I should be entering my first true heat before the next monsoon.”  
“Congratulations.”  
Ylian hummed happily, then fell silent again for a moment before speaking up in a more hushed tone.  
“Do you want me to send a message to mother and ask her to come see you when we return from this trip?”  
“Please...”  
“Don't worry, you will merely become an even more amazing alpha and lilim.”  
“I'm just a bit worried how my powers will affect everyone during my heat.”  
“We will be fine, just like Take's heat anyone who is not comfortable with ending up in bed with you, him, or us betas, will simply stay somewhere else.”  
  


There was no doubt that Emelie's true heat would trigger pseudo heats in both Takeshi and the acting betas of the pack.  
Chances were that everyone in the pack capable of going into heat would be affected by her.  
  


“Relyn, how are you handling your feelings for my mate?”  
Emelie turned to the angel who was watching Takeshi and Roto with a rather wistful smile.  
“The song of his soul is powerful...”  
“But?”  
She poked gently, trying to get Relyn to elaborate.  
“As much as I know I will grow to love him, my duty to Lucifer comes first.”  
“That loyalty is a big part of why he wants you, and he will no doubt try to snare you, at least somewhat.”  
“But he..?”  
For a moment Relyn seemed very confused and somewhat distraught at the idea that Takeshi would try to sway him from his duty  
“Easy, he will not try to sway you from your oath, instead he will ask you to be his as much as you are able without tainting it, or your honor. At least until you find a suitable mate.”  
For a moment Relyn just looked at her in silence, then he offered her a crooked smile.  
“He's gonna be all protective Alpha, acting as a Guide would, isn't he?”  
“Mhm. But only if you allow him, he understands he has no true right to do so.”  
Emelie just smiled back at him.  
“I... I think I would enjoy that...”  
“Of course you would, you're a beta.”  
Ylian offered a teasing quip which made Relyn huff and blush.  
  


For a moment Emelie looked at Relyn, regarding him in silence.  
“Relyn, would you be agreeable to assisting me in regaining some of the energy I spent on my dear netai?”  
The angel instantly turned a darker shade of obsidian, then nodded softly.  
“I would be honored to.”  
“And would you be adverse to me inviting someone else to join us?”  
She kept her words formal as it would make it easier for Relyn to cope, and refuse if uncomfortable with the situation.  
“In current company, not at all, your soulmate has impeccable taste.”  
“Indeed he does.”  
The soft teasing further darkened Relyn's skin but he was clearly curious about who she would pick to join them.  
  


“Jacky, would you come here for a moment?”  
Relyn's soft gasp told her she had made the right choice in picking Jackal, but it was a bit of a gamble, he might refuse to join them.  
“What can I do for you Em?”  
“I have been giving Ylian a lot of my stored up energy so I'm feeling a bit peckish...”  
“Oh, you want me to feed you?”  
“I was hoping you would be willing to help Relyn feed me, just to be on the safe side, my control isn't the best right now.”  
She didn't elaborate why, and Jackal didn't ask, trusting her to tell him if he needed to know.  
Jackal responded by giving Relyn a very obvious once over before breaking into a smile.  
“Will I be allowed to play with our feathered friend here as well?”  
Relyn instantly turned several shades darker before huffing and shaking his head at his own reactions.  
“I'm not adverse to a bit of exploring.”  
“Guess we have a deal then.”  
  


The trio quickly retreated to one of the piles of bedding and soon their clothes found their way to a pile next to them and were replaced by roaming hands, and mouths.  
Under the influence of Emelie's powers it didn't take long for the trio to find their end and once they did Emelie curled into Jackal's chest while Relyn took a form closer to his true size to hold both and wrap a wing around them.  
“Go on, sleep, I will watch over you.”  
Ylian's soft promise was rewarded with a soft chirp of gratitude before Relyn closed his eyes and fell asleep as well.  
When Dan joined them they only stirred briefly to move about slightly to make room for him between Relyn and Emelie and as soon as he shimmied into the spot they all settled down to sleep again.  
Ylian knew they wouldn't sleep for very long, and true to their estimate the group began to stir after sleeping for about a mark, having fed from Relyn and Jackal, Emelie was the first to wake and she soon turned her attention to Dan, waking him with teasing kisses.  
  


When she pulled a needy groan and a gasp of pure pleasure from the young beta Ylian couldn't help feeling a pang of envy at the sight of them, finding that they very much wanted to join them, they missed being able to be intimate with the others while carrying.  
The spawns were strong and could most likely handle them transitioning to a corporeal form, but they didn't want to take any chances.  
“Yitzhialjin, please, come closer. Let me feel you as well.”  
Dan's soft words startled Ylian from their increasingly dark thoughts, breaking the spiral of worry about the unusual spawning, and when they looked up they were met by a gaze filled with burning desire.  
At times Ylian found themself somewhat mystified by the way they had fallen for the young beta, they hadn't expected to love him so fiercely, so soon, but they had to admit they did.  
The fact that Dan was eagerly seeking to change, to become more of a shadeling, accepting the cool darkness of the shadow fragment they had given to Takeshi, and making it part of himself, even before they met only made their attraction to him stronger.  
  


Dan's aura spiked sharply with arousal and desire as Ylian approached and the moment they reached out for him, condensing their form slightly to brush against him, he sucked in a sharp breath at the chill of the sensation, almost as if someone was dragging an ice cube against his heated skin and it made him groan and curse at the sudden surge of blood rushing to his already hard member, making him painfully hard in an instant.  
“Fuck...”  
“Danny, language.”  
Emelie teased softly while nipping at his ear.  
“Don't worry, soon.”  
She added while trailing teasing nips down his neck and chest.  
“Meanie...”  
Another sharp nip made him arch up against her and once he settled down his head fell to the side and he noticed Jackal watching them with a smoldering glow in his eyes.  
Schooling his face into something pleading he locked eyes with the mercenary.  
“Jacky, come on, save me!”  
While Dan managed to keep his face and voice pleading his eyes were sparkling with desire and mischief.  
They surge of anticipation when Jackal approached had Emelie and Ylian exchange looks as they had no idea what he would do.  
  


When Jackal reached them he leaned in and gave Dan a teasing kiss before settling down by his head, carefully placing it in his lap and running his fingers through Dan's hair and gently brushing them along his neck, throat and shoulders, adding to the teasing.  
“Cruel...”  
When Jackal slowly wrapped his fingers around Dan's throat and gave it a gentle squeeze he was rewarded with a soft groan as Dan arched up once again, but he quickly settled down into submission, trusting Emelie and Ylian to keep him safe.  
“Come on love, submit to me.”  
Emelie's words, whispered softly against his skin was enough to push Dan over the edge and he submitted instantly as he fell into the abyss.  
“Our dear mate and alpha is right, you submit beautifully.”  
The whispered praise triggered another surge of pleasure as it triggered the beta's instinctive urge to please their alpha.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Island of the Opal Flights_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


As the first ray's of sunlight began to pain their colors across the sky the pack was well rested and ready to head out, they had eaten a light but highly nutritious meal that would sustain them well without making them feel heavy or impair their flight.  
Tamalu had told them that they should head out in a mark and a half to make it to their destination with good timing so now they were resting and playing games, waiting for her signal.  
  


“You should wrap your game up and now and be ready to head out in a grain or two.”  
A grain when used for measures of time was equivalent to about 5 minutes so everyone quickly put the games away, but before they could leave the Brood Queen of the island approached them with a few of the smallest whelps stumbling around her feet.  
When she reached them she nudged the whelps over toward Takeshi who gave Kiryu a questioning glance.  
“She is offering us an alliance of sorts, whelps of her blood to enrich our flight, in return we would come back with whelps of our blood to equally enrich her flight.”  
“That's quite a risk she's taking, offering us the whelps when we have none for her.”  
Takeshi spoke softly, acknowledging the risk the old matriarch was taking.  
“Her instincts tell her you can be trusted.”  
Responding to the strong display of trust Takeshi sat down on the ground, placing himself at eye level with the dragon, looking into eyes that spoke of wisdom born from old age, and a keen mind.  
“I will care for them as if they were my own, and if whelps compatible with your flight are ever born to my house I will see too that some are brought here to join your flight.”  
  


He knew the Brood Queen was too much of a beast, too _Other_ , to fully understand his words, but she did understand his intent, his feelings.  
He still spoke the words, stating his intent before witnesses, making it a formal oath.  
The Brood Queen seemed very happy with his words, his intent, as she released a soft rumbling, almost like a purr and nudged the whelps again to get them to go to him before approaching herself and brushing against his side.  
On a whim he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on the silky scales of her snout which earned him a huff charged with elemental energy before she pointedly turned her back on him and returned to her waiting consorts.  
“Ouch,”  
“Total diss.”  
“She definitely has you figured out.”  
The pack's teasing was expected and Takeshi flashed his fangs at them in mock objection while picking up the whelps one by one and handing them to Kiryu who had already taken a form suitable for their travels.  
As the whelps were placed on her back her power rose and entangled them in living shadow, and some deep instinct had them instantly settling down to ensure they wouldn't fall off her back while flying.  
  


“Is everyone ready to go?”  
Tamalu's question brought everyone's attention back to her and they quickly confirmed that they were indeed all good to go.  
“Follow me closely, these pathways are quite narrow.”  
Takeshi could feel the focus of the pack like an electrified hum through the bonds and he allowed approval and pride to echo back to the others while waiting for everyone to take off, he would bring up the rear himself.  
  


The moment they passed through the final crack from the borderlands into the Obsidian territories the pack fell silent at the sight before them.  
The entire island was simply a giant geode, roughly 3 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide that had been cracked open lengthwise, removing roughly a quarter of the top, the fragments were still floating above the island, refracting light into it.  
There were luminous discharges between the floating fragments, it looked a lot like electrostatic discharges, but the source was not static electricity, it was caused by the high concentration of raw prana in the crystalline structure or the geode.  
The high concentration of prana in the crystalline structures caused the geode to act like a superconductor, and placed both the central geode and the surrounding islands and rocks into a state of quantum locked superconductive levitation.  
  


“Wow...”  
They had been silent for several minutes when Linnéa finally spoke up in an awed whisper, taking in the sight before them.  
The exterior of the geode was ragged rock covered in vines, moss and small trees that clung to the crevices in the surface, there were also cracks where water seeped from inside the geode.  
The internal structure was mainly crystal clusters in every conceivable color, in the central area was a lake that was most likely formed by rainwater, the cracks acting as spillways to keep the entire geode from being filled with water, and there was quite a bit of vegetation growing between the larger clusters of crystal.  
“It's beautiful...”  
“It's pretty damned amazing.”  
“All those crystals.”  
“And colors.”  
“Come on, I wanna look closer!”  
The pack was a bundle of eager energy as they slowly approached and Takeshi had to remind them several times to try to rein in their energies so they didn't scare the local dragons.  
  


“Let's set down by the large blue crystals by the shore. It's a good place to make camp.”  
Tamalu's voice held quite the mix of amusement and pride at the reactions of the pack, and it was enough to at least temporarily get their attention and soon they were working on making a simple but comfortable, camp under a crystal outcropping.  
  


“Are those red Shamarai flowers?”  
Everyone quickly turned to Amanda who was pointing toward a few bold red flowers floating on the water, but Munin's reaction surprised them all as he exploded into eager energy and took off out over the water before anyone could react.  
They watched in silent surprise as he gently landed on a giant leaf and carefully crawled to the edge to inspect one of the flowers closer.  
“It **is** a red shamarai, I thought they were extinct...”  
The eagerness in his voice quickly had the pack joining him, some shifting and flying, others swimming.  
“It looks like it's been cut from rubies or garnets and set in gold...”  
It took a while before anyone reacted to Emelie's soft whisper, too engrossed in admiring the deep, dark red flowers with gold veins.  
“Dragon Shamarai...”  
Hugin sounded almost as awed as his brother as he carefully reached out for one of the flowers, as if afraid it would turn out to be an illusion.  
“I need to find seeds for these...”  
There was a deep rooted certainty in Emelie's voice that soon had half the pack helping her search for mature seedpods while Takeshi and the others returned to the small beach with shimmering crystal sand.  
  


“Tama, you knew about those shamarai, didn't you?”  
Takeshi had been preening Hiroto's wings for a while when he turned to Tamalu.  
“Of course I did. I wanted them to be a surprise.”  
“They obviously were, though I'm not entirely sure why the strong reaction.”  
“They require a very high concentration of prana to be able to survive, they used to be fairly common, but with the imbalance of the realms prana levels have dropped and only special places, like this island, can sustain them.”  
“So if the balance is restored we should be able to help them spread again?”  
“Yes.”  
“Thank you.”  
He reached out and brushed his hand over her wings, earning himself a soft rumble as she moved closer to give him better access, though, she was careful not to disturb Hiroto who was half asleep in Takeshi's lap.  
Takeshi didn't stop sifting through Hiroto's feathers as he carefully grabbed her chin and pulled her closer so he could kiss her, allowing his gratitude for what she had shown them to flow freely and when she returned the kiss, allowing him to sample her flavor, he rewarded her with a deep, pleased, rumble that quickly had the resting pack tossing teasing quips their way, accusing him of being an incorrigible flirt, which he of course denied.  
“You don't mind, do you ama?”  
The soft whisper against Tamalu's ear was rewarded with her turning and trailing a few kisses along his jaw.  
“No, your touch is very soothing for my instincts.”  
“That's good.”  
He couldn't help the slight hint of disappointment that flickered through his aura and it made Tamalu smile and tut at him.  
“Your pack is right, you are quite incorrigible.”  
“Meanie...”  
The soft huff and complaint made her laugh and give him a proper kiss before returning to her previous position, curled into his side.  
  


When the rest of the pack joined them they were carrying several large nets with seed pods and Emelie was cradling a crystal amphora with a small rhizome in her arms, carefully charging the crystal with prana.  
“These are gonna be really hard to grow.”  
There was a sad hint in her voice, but it was tempered by fiery determination.  
“I can feel it, they need a lot of prana to grow.”  
“Indeed, Tama tells me that is why they grow here, this place has an abundance of prana.”  
Takeshi gave her tail a quick kiss to comfort her.  
“I believe the prana levels here are similar to how the levels were in this realm when the realms were in balance.”  
“I think yi is right about that.”  
Munin was quick to agree with Ylian, and Relyn nodded as well, he, like the other demons, was being rather energetic as the abundance of prana acted like a stimulant.  
“I can keep it alive like this for a very long time, but I don't think I want to try to make it grow just yet.”  
“If everyone pitches in to feed it I'm sure we can let it grow to a small size at least.”  
Ylian carefully suggested that House Shamarai work together to make the rare flower grow and bloom.  
“It would be most fitting if House Shamarai were to bring a Dragon Shamarai to life and bring it before the Council of Elders. They would no doubt allow you to claim it as your Imperial Sigil if you do.”  
Relyn offered his knowledge of the inner working of the Demon Courts.  
  


“Ylian, how are you feeling with all this prana around?”  
Takeshi didn't think there would be any issues, but he asked anyway, not wanting to take any chances with the spawns.  
“Good, really good. I'm not feeling as drained anymore.”  
“Good.”  
“I actually think staying here may allow me to spawn sooner.”  
“So you want to stay here until you have spawned?”  
“Yeah, this place feels good, safe...”  
“Everyone okay with that? Assuming of course the locals don't object.”  
The pack quickly agreed as did Tamalu and Relyn.  
“It's settled then, if the locals accept our presence we will stay here until Ylian has spawned and had a chance to recover a bit.”  
“On the topic of the locals, where are they?”  
Dan's question quickly had everyone looking at Tamalu.  
  


“They are probably napping in the shaded areas of their dens. They are not very active during the day.”  
“So they are nocturnal?”  
“They are mostly active in the morning and evening.”  
“That's bimodal crepuscularity, right Angel?”  
Julia looked at Angel with eager anticipation.  
“That's right Julia, very good.”  
Getting Angel's confirmation made Julia break into a brilliant smile and Takeshi made a mental note to give her some sort of a reward.  
Tamalu just looked confused as Julia had spoken English and Tamalu's linguistic ability hadn't helped her at all.  
“Julia, why don't you try to explain to Tama what you just said?”  
“Okay...”  
Takeshi allowed his aura to brush against hers to offer support while she took a deep breath and thought about how to explain to Tamalu.  
  


“In the human realm we divide animals into groups depending on various traits. What time of day they are active is one of the ways we group them. Animals that are active in the day are called Diurnal, and night active is Nocturnal. Then those that are active in the morning or evening are called crepuscular from the word for twilight in Latin, an old Human Realm language. They can be further divided into matutinal for those that are active in the morning and vespertine for those active in the evening.”  
“Humans have some interesting ways of doing things”  
Tamalu hummed and nodded and her aura was bright with curiosity and attention.  
“And bimodal means they fit into two groups, in this case both morning and evening active.”  
“I see, thank you for explaining.”  
“That was a very good summation of the topic. Keep that up and you will have an extra credit on your biology report.”  
Angel offered a bit of praise and some incentive to keep up the good work.  
“Thanks!”  
The exchange had Tamalu looking somewhat puzzled.  
  


“I'm sorry if I overstep, but I can't help getting a feeling that there's more to this than Julia showing that she remembers her lessons...”  
The exchange of looks within the pack confirmed her suspicion that something was up.  
“Julia, it's up to you if you want her to know.”  
“I know.”  
Julia once again took a few deep breaths to calm herself before starting to explain to Tamalu.  
“I have a condition that humans call dyslexia, it means my brain doesn't process language, especially written language, the way it should, making it very hard for me to read and write, and education in the Human Realm is almost entirely based on reading books and written tests.”  
“That must have been really hard as you're obviously very intelligent.”  
“Thanks... And yeah, it wasn't easy, the other kids bullied me pretty badly.”  
“And the adults didn't intervene?”  
“No, the teachers were just as bad as the other kids...”  
Julia gave a quick explanation of the general school system humans used, and the bullying she had suffered and the way Tamalu's aura lit up with fury made Julia blush and fall silent for a moment.  
“Take helped me find ways to learn though, using my hands and entire body instead of just my eyes. And he encouraged me to help others who were having a hard time learning to read and write and that has really helped.”  
“I can definitely see you as a teacher, and I think you would be very good at it.”  
This time Julia just blushed and started worrying the hem of the belt of her wraparound skirt and Tamalu reached out for her and brushed her hand against her cheek.  
“I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”  
For a while Julia was silent and still, then she leaned into the soft touch.  
“It's okay... I.. Sometimes I have a hard time dealing with compliments...”  
“Okay, but you still deserve them.”  
With that Tamalu moved away and taking her cue from the rest of the pack she left Julia to collect herself.  
  


“If you want to make a good impression on the local dragons you could go catch some of the _Trubzul_ that nest around the edges of the island.”  
“That's those big birds that look like herons, right?”  
Amanda looked at Munin for confirmation as he usually had the answer to such questions.  
“Mhm, herons with teeth.”  
Munin confirmed with a somewhat distasteful sneer, the demon birds were considered pests in most coastal areas as they were loud and voracious predators that would eat anything small enough for them to kill, and being roughly twice the size of a heron they could easily kill and consume rather large prey, and ate a lot.  
This made them not only competition for fish, but they would also attack domestic animals such as the popular itiri and their larger relatives, a single trubzul could quickly decimate a flock of itiri if the tiny flightless birds couldn't find somewhere to hide where the long beak and agile necks couldn't reach them.  
“They usually hunt in the waters below, competing for food, but they will take whelps if they get the chance to.”  
“So the dragons would appreciate us getting rid of some competition and potential threats to the whelps?”  
“They would. I always hunt the trubzul when I visit, they don't taste very good but there are plenty of aromatic plants around here that can be added to a stew to cover the taste, and the dragons are usually more than happy to eat them so they don't go to waste.”  
Takeshi considered her words for a while before turning to the pack.  
  


“What do you guys say, wanna hunt some giant demonic herons?”  
Takeshi watched as the pack considered his question carefully, the large birds were not easy prey and he was proud that they took the time to properly consider it rather than just agreeing with him.  
“Can we use out bows?”  
“Yeah, they are seriously scary...”  
“A bird that can reach twice my height armed with a half a meter long dagger, yeah, not taking that on unarmed...”  
Dan quickly agreed with Sarah and Maria about how to hunt the birds.  
“Of course, I was thinking bows, throw nets and maybe bolas.”  
Takeshi agreed that weapons would be used to hunt the birds, their beaks were sharp, and the long, powerful neck allowed them to attack with surprising force.  
“Take, could I have your permission to use my drones to assist the hunt?”  
Angel sounded somewhat hesitant but Takeshi paid it no mind, instead he asked her to elaborate the same he would any of the other members of his house.  
“What did you have in mind sweetie?”  
“Some of my drones are equipped with micro darts dipped in dream-conch venom, it should be an effective way to neutralize some of the birds without harming them, making it safer to raid the nests and inspect the adults to reduce the population.”  
Takeshi hummed and nodded, it was a good plan.  
“That's an excellent idea, you run with that and we will back you up.”  
“Thank you.”  
Angel quickly called her drones over to inspect the ones armed with the micro darts to make sure they were all in proper working condition.  
  


While Angel inspected her drone Takeshi quickly explained the properties of dream-conch venom to Tamalu and Relyn and after some prodding from Relyn he brought out one of the small vials and gave the angel a dose, knocking him out almost instantly.  
“To disable a Blood Guard that quickly, it must be very potent.”  
Tamalu was quite amazed at how quickly Relyn was put under by the venom.  
“It is indeed very potent, but it's also very different from most demon realm venom so he has no tolerance or resistance against it, but if we keep exposing him to it he should build tolerance to it the same way he has to the more common toxins that all guards are trained to withstand.”  
While he spoke Takeshi gently moved Relyn a bit to make sure he would be comfortable and not wake up sore in any way and once he was satisfied with the position of the wings he began running his fingers through the fine braids of his hair.  
“How cute.”  
Tamalu's soft teasing made Takeshi mock glare at her, then break into a wide smile moments later  
“The Obsidian do tend to be very cute when sleeping.”  
“That is not what I was saying and you know it.”  
Tamalu's slight push made Takeshi huff and turn away somewhat pointedly, changing his focus to Takara who was feeding her jerboas which only made Tamalu tut and laugh.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Island of the Opal Flights_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Taka how are your pups doing?”  
The way Takeshi dodged Tamalu's teasing made everyone smile and snicker while Takara eagerly showed him the new, larger, container with the litter of demonic jerboas.  
“I can't know for sure, but I think they are doing okay. They feel a lot stronger.”  
“That's good.”  
He brought out a small pouch of coarse raw sugar and poured a small pinch into his hand before gently poking the pups' tails to get their attention.  
Once he had their attention they almost instantly noticed the sugar he was holding and started begging with soft chirps, and when that didn't work they started trying to get to it, squirming and crawling, even trying to climb his arm.  
“Alpha, please don't tease them. You know they are crazy about sweets.”  
Takara's rather protective display made him smile.  
The jerboa creatures were omnivores with the main part of their diet being nuts and seeds for fat and fruits and berries for carbohydrates, this was complemented by various insects for protein, they also absorbed additional prana from their environment.  
  


“Don't worry Taka, I'm just making them work for their treats a bit.”  
He took a single grain between the claws of his thumb and index finger, holding it up at a height that the pups would need to stand up properly to reach.  
He made sure all the pups got a few small pieces of sugar, testing their balance and strength as well as their determination.  
“They are definitely stronger, but they have a long way to go.”  
“I know, Ruton explained that this species grows slowly and that it will take a few months before they are able to start hunting and fending for themselves.”  
“A lot of work for you.”  
“Yeah, but it feels good.”  
She blushed slightly and her tails were twitching with a somewhat nervous energy.  
“Foxes are famous for their love for taking care of abandoned or abused children regardless of species.”  
He gently soothed her and soon the somewhat discordant energy settled back into a content calm.  
“I was thinking I could try to find some suitable grubs to feed them when they get old enough to start eating solid food. Something like the silkworms used to feed pet lizards.”  
“That's probably a good idea.”  
“And when they grow up a bit I think I'm gonna catch crickets and grasshoppers for them to practice hunting on.”  
“You should try to get various flying bugs as well as they need to learn to catch things by jumping.”  
“If I get them silkworms I could get some adults as well, they're really lazy and sluggish so they should be good to start them off on.”  
“You have this well planned out.”  
“Hopefully, but didn't some old military guy say that no plan ever survives the first encounter with the enemy?”  
“Indeed. Do you remember who it was?”  
”Uhm... Wasn't it that German guy in the 1800's?”  
“That's right.”  
“I can't remember the name...”  
Takara's ears flattened against her skull and her tails wilted.  
“His name and title was Field Marshal Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke, usually called Helmut von Moltke the Elder.”  
“Your memory is insane...”  
Takara grumbled then sighed and turned to Angel to ask her to put extra memory exercises on her schedule.  
“How about we work on that right away?”  
“I guess.”  
She quickly turned to Takeshi and excused herself while collecting her pups.  
  


Takeshi just smiled at her and turned his attention to Amanda who was watching over the old mothdragon matriarch and the nest.  
“Manda, how is your ward and her little flight doing?”  
“She's okay, I did another healing session together with Sarah and Maria so she's not in pain anymore.”  
“Excellent. You are getting quite skilled at dragonsong, and our dear rainbow twins are growing into skilled healers.”  
“She still has trouble flying though, her left wing must have been broken at some point and healed wrong.”  
They had all been somewhat surprised to find that despite their moth-like appearance the dragons did have the same basic bone structure in their wings as most other dragons.  
“When we get back I would like to try to see if we can get her to agree to being sedated so we can surgically remove the bone where it has healed wrong, then secure it with sanctuary crystal so it can heal correctly, I think that would really help her overall health. I spoke to Nel and Kiryu and they both agree it would probably help.”  
Takeshi nodded and hummed in agreement.  
“Regaining full use of her wings would be good for her, should help with her mental state.”  
“She is a bit better now though, she felt really depressed at first, but it seems like having a gaggle of whelps to mother has really improved her mood.”  
Everyone had noticed the old dragon's poor mood when the flight left, and the sharp improvement in the past day.  
“She's a brood queen, to lose her flight must have been devastating.”  
“Yeah, and I really hope she won't relapse.”  
“You know as well as I do that there will be good days and there will be bad days, all we can do is try to help her though the bad ones. But she has the whelps to mother and dote on, she has her favorite consorts who will dote on her, and hopefully all the eggs will hatch so she will have the base for a new flight to raise.”  
“A flight under the protection of House Shamarai.”  
“Indeed.”  
Takeshi smiled before leaning in and sifting through Relyn's scent, making sure the potent venom was dissipating as expected.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Island of the Opal Flights_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Did you sleep well amo?”  
Takeshi teased softly when Relyn began to stir.  
“♫♪.”  
Relyn's soft warble made Takeshi smile and wait for him to wake up properly.  
“Awake enough to give me an answer that makes sense now?”  
“Maybe, what was the question?”  
“How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?”  
“For having been knocked out by venom I slept really well and I'm feeling good, well rested.”  
“♪.”  
Takeshi whistled his relief in the Obsidian language which made Relyn smile and offer a soft clicking reassurance that he was fine.  
“If you're feeling good, do you feel up to helping us with the hunt?”  
“Of course. I am very curious to see what kind of plan Angel has made for us.”  
“As am I. I have no doubt it will be a good one though.”  
“I'm sure you taught her well.”  
“I did my best, and I made sure to bring in others for her to learn from.”  
“Always the Alpha.”  
Relyn teased softly while getting up and stretching his wings, giving them a good rustle to make sure all feathers were in place.  
“Thank you for making sure my wings were in a good position.”  
He leaned in and trailed kisses along Takeshi's jawline and as he knew he would Takeshi grabbed his head and gave him a very emotional kiss.  
  


With Relyn awake they quickly gathered around Angel to hear the plan she had come up with for dealing with the trubzul and Takeshi offered his honest praise at the plan, it was well thought out and she had several backup plans to cover unexpected events.  
They executed her plan at one of the smaller colonies of trubzul and systematically wiped out most of the colony, the demon heron was a common species so there was no reason to hold back.  
According to Tamalu the local dragons happily ate the eggs of the large birds, but avoided the adults unless they were able to outnumber them quite a bit so reducing the numbers would give the dragons an edge and allow them to better manage the population themselves.  
  


“Tama, would the dragons like it if we pluck the dead birds for them?”  
Nelly was in all out mother hen mode which made the pack smile and wait for Tamalu's answer.  
“Indeed they would. I usually pluck them, skin and cut away most of the bones then cut the meat into bite size pieces and the skin into strips about the length and width of my little finger.”  
“Okay, let's get to work.”  
Nelly quickly took control and with Jenna at her side they handed out the assignments for preparing the birds that had been killed, the sedated ones would be offered to the dragons as they were, and if they didn't want them they had a few hungry shadows who would be more than happy to gorge themselves.  
  


“Relyn, before you became a Blood Guard, did you ever do any eradication jobs?”  
Takara was plucking birds with fervor when she turned to Relyn and started asking him about his experiences as a hunter.  
“No, I had applied to join the city guard so I began training the moment I had completed my hunter's trial. Like all guards I did the occasional job but most of my focus was on training and before I knew it I found myself accepted into the Blood Guard.”  
“You're young for a Blood Guard, aren't you?”  
The honest question made Relyn blush a deep black.  
“I am. It caused quite a ruckus when Lucifer asked me to trial for the Blood Guard, and even more so when I placed the final oath only a year later.”  
“Becoming Blood Guard isn't just about skill though, is it?”  
“You're right Taka, it's not. Skill is required, but it's more important that your personality fits. After all skills can be taught and refined but your personality, your energy, tends to remain.”  
“So personal chemistry is what really matters.”  
“Chemi...?”  
  


The choice of words had Relyn looking a bit confused, his linguistic ability clearly not working on the unfamiliar word.  
Takara quickly started explaining what chemistry was and how the words could be used which had Relyn nodding and thanking her for helping him improve his English.  
The pack usually spoke Urui mixed with the Obsidian language and a few words here and there from Ylian's shadeling dialect but Relyn and Tamalu had both asked them to speak English during their trip to allow them to learn it.  
Tamalu had expressed a desire to come visit the Human Realm to learn about the animal rescue work that Nelly was studying to be part of but to do that without arousing suspicion she would need to be able to speak English without a noticeable accent.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Island of the Opal Flights_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Look, there they are!”  
Linnéa called out as she spotted a few small dragons perching near the top of one of the crystal clusters, half hidden, and all curious.  
“Those are the scouts from what I call the Blue _Tzunri_ flight.”  
“What's Tzunri?”  
Linnéa's question was expected, and Munin quickly answered her.  
“Moonstone if I recall correctly.”  
“Actually, it's called opal, specifically white opal.”  
Emelie corrected Munin with a smile which made him lower his wings slightly, deferring to her experience with and knowledge of, gemstones.  
  


“I can see why, they look like they have been carved from pale blue opals.”  
Linnéa studied the pale blue dragons with avid curiosity.  
“I think you will like the Green _Tzunre_ flight.”  
Tamalu teased softly which quickly had Linnéa asking what Tzunre was.  
“It's a stone that looks like black opal. Green Tzunre looks very much like the color you favor for your nails.”  
Munin supplied the answer then gave Emelie a quick glance for confirmation and she just nodded with a smile and Linnéa quickly thanked him.  
“Several of the flights look like Tzunre in various colors.”  
Tamalu continued to speak of the various small flights that made the island their home.  
“They are quite beautiful.”  
Emelie studied the small creatures with a deep appreciation for their beauty.  
“These opals of yours can come in such varied colors?”  
Tamalu quickly turned to Emelie who tried her best to explain the various colors of the Human Realm opals.  
  


While they spoke several more dragons appeared around the lake, scouts for the various flights that made the giant geode their home.  
“There's so many, and they all look like some kind of crystal version of opals...”  
Iðunn and Eir were looking around with wide eyes, half shifted into their eagle forms to gain access to their full visual and auditory range.  
“They are like a rainbow...”  
Linnéa agreed softly, and moments later Nelly, Sol and Takara were eagerly joining the eagle twins, trying to spot more dragons.  
“There are 15 flights on this island, seven tzunre, seven tzunri, and the final flight is a larger, rainbow female and her three young consorts. I have never seen her with eggs, but while young she is a mature, fertile female so I think her consorts are still too young to breed and she simply eats her unfertilized eggs.”  
“Is that common among dragons?”  
Nelly was eager to learn more about dragons.  
“A fertile female who does not have a breeding female around or males they can breed with will eat their unfertilized eggs to reabsorb the nutrients. Some species are able to prevent themselves from laying at all, but most will consume the eggs after the fact.”  
Kiryu was the one to answer the questions, which rewarded her with a flurry of additional questions.  
  


“Aww... It should be illegal to be that cute...”  
Linnéa was all out gushing as a group of the pale blue dragons consisting of a gaggle of young whelps and a few adults watching over them approached the water where the pack had set up camp.  
The chubby whelps were walking with a noticeable waddle and they were frequently tripping on not only their siblings' tails but their own as well, and despite still being tiny they frequently slapped each other with their wings.  
As they matured their neck and tail would grow longer and more slender and their wings would grow a lot larger.  
“I think babies are allowed to be as cute as they can possibly manage.”  
Ylian tutted and smiled at the whelps and when one of them tripped on a tail and tumbled down towards the water they gathered their power for a moment to make a few shadows solidify and prevent the tumbling dragon from ending up in the water.  
The action quite obviously earned Ylian the favor of the babysitters who quickly settled down near them to watch over the whelps, and soon more flights joined them and the pack was more than happy to help watch over the many whelps in various ages.  
Fortunately the species of dragons that made the island their home were small enough for their fledglings to not be any danger to the pack and their friends, they didn't weigh enough to cause an impact beyond what felt like a slap to them.  
  


“Sora, you need to be a bit careful here, the whelps could hit you hard enough to hurt your wings. And Honey, you need to watch out a bit too.”  
Takeshi cautioned the more fragile members of the pack that the small dragons could still hurt them.  
“What about Hrafn and Kara? Or the phoenixes?”  
Takara sounded rather concerned.  
“Hrafn and Kara have enough shadow in them to protect them. And the others are elementals so they are not fragile.”  
Takeshi soothed the worried foxling while gently brushing his hand over her ears, projecting a soothing calm along with pride and approval.  
For a moment she ducked her head from the touch, then she shifted into her fox form and arched into it, squirming against his hand to make him run his hand down her back and through her tails.  
“Sweet little treasure. Such pure heart.”  
Takeshi hummed as he ran his fingers through the soft fur, half petting her, half scratching her, he did take the opportunity to look for parasites while he was at it as she seemed to be a bit itchy.  
It was rare for them to pick up unwanted hitchhikers, but demon realm parasites could affect them, fortunately it seemed she just had some of the crystal sand in her fur.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Island of the Opal Flights_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Guys, time to be on your best behavior.”  
Tamalu's soft words that were only half teasing instantly gained her everyone's attention and with a smile she pointed toward the other side of the small lake where a small group of dragons had appeared.  
The group slowly made their way around the lake, slowly approaching the camp.  
“Wow...”  
“She's beautiful...”  
Takeshi found himself agreeing wholeheartedly with his twin daughters, the young female dragon was a stunning creature.  
She wasn't particularly large, about the size of a friesian horse, and she sported some rather amazing colors, a mix of all the others of the island.  
“She looks a lot like a horse.”  
Everyone quickly agreed with Linnéa's observation, the matriarch looked like a cross between a reptile and a horse, but with wings.  
Her three consorts were about half her size and looked more like the other dragons, a bit stockier than her, but still fairly slender for a mountain or plains breed.  
  


“Hold still everyone and let her inspect you. I can't sense any hostility so it should be safe as long as we don't do anything to startle her or make her uncomfortable.”  
Takeshi spoke softly as the matriarch approached and he slowly moved to position himself between the pack and the approaching dragons and Emelie and the betas quickly joined him, though making sure not to make any sudden moves.  
When the rainbow dragon began sniffing him Takeshi raised his chin slightly, allowing her access to the pheromone glands slightly behind and below his ears.  
When the testing lick caused him to shiver with involuntary pleasure the soft teasing from the pack made the the dragon pull back with a snort that was decidedly amused before giving Emelie a similar treatment, though the lack of dragon in her quickly made the dragon lose interest.  
Ylian was quickly dismissed as well, but there was a distinct gentleness in how the matriarch examined them, she was clearly mindful of their condition, careful not to do anything that might harm the spawns.  
  


Amanda however received quite a bit of attention, attention with an edge of challenge and remembering Lucifer's words she began to sing softly, songs of companionship and healing, songs that made the old moth-dragon raise her voice as well.  
The song of the old matriarch made her the next object of interest and after a gentle inspection the rainbow matriarch breathed out an iridescent cloud that gently flowed around the older female and everyone could sense a calm power that felt almost identical to the rainbow energy Sarah and Maria used to heal.  
They could see the scars that covered the tiny body vanishing and her colors grew more vibrant, but when the wing remained crooked the young female voiced a sad sound that sounded a bit like whale song.  
  


“I don't know if you can understand me, but I think I know how to heal her wing.”  
When Amanda spoke Takeshi couldn't help tensing a bit, but all that happened was that the song of the rainbow female turned into something curious, and hopeful.  
“You do understand me, don't you?”  
Amanda reached out toward the dragon and gently placed her hand on the scaled snout and was rewarded with more of the soft song.  
“I think I'll be able understand her if she just keeps singing.”  
Emelie spoke up as her linguistic ability began to pick up the meaning of the song.  
“Then please Alpha, can you translate for me?”  
“Of course my sweet little beta.”  
The somewhat teasing exchange was clearly confusing the dragon, but she kept singing.  
“She wants to know how you would heal your little ward, and she also says that she does posses the linguistic ability, but not the vocal cords to speak another language than her own.”  
Emelie started translating for Amanda.  
“So input is translated but she has limited output?”  
Angel's use of computer terms made everyone smile and Emelie confirmed the assessment.  
  


“Angel, Em, can you help me show her the procedure we were discussing?”  
“Of course”  
“I'll try, but I'm not sure what you want me to do...”  
Emelie instantly agreed, but Angel was a bit hesitant.  
“Angel, can you create a projection of the injured wing and the suggested procedure? And Em, can you make a crystal replica of the bones in her wing to show what's wrong?”  
They both nodded and soon they were showing the young matriarch what was wrong with the wing, and how they intended to fix it.  
After their explanation the young rainbow female gave Amanda a soft nudge paired with a song that sounded pleased, and Emelie's translation confirmed that she was happy and hopeful that it would work.  
The dragon didn't linger long though, instead she moved over to Dan and began inspecting him very thoroughly, far more thoroughly than she had inspected Takeshi, which had Dan squirming a bit.  
  


“Dan, I think you should shift so she can inspect your dragon form.”  
“O... okay...”  
With a calm breath Dan allowed the shift to begin, focusing on keeping it slow so he wouldn't startle the young matriarch.  
Once he had shifted the inspection picked up again and soon Dan was struggling with the dragon instinct to submit to a matriarch.  
“Dan? Is something wrong?”  
“No, not really. Just my instincts pulling at me.”  
“What are they telling you?”  
“She's inviting me to be a consort, a breeder, to sire a clutch for her to raise while she waits for her primes to mature.”  
Dan was breathing rather heavily as he bared his neck to her and as she licked at the points where his pheromones were the most concentrated.  
  


“I think she's like the umarita. The mind and soul of a greater dragon, but with the physical form of a lesser dragon.”  
Dan's words were strained, he was clearly having a hard time focusing enough to speak.  
“Possibly. What are you feeling to make you think that?”  
Takeshi nudged him to continue.  
“Her, I'm feeling her...”  
“The calling?”  
“Mhm, it's weak, but it's there.”  
Dan was clearly quite affected by it as he called his power into his hands and reached out for the matriarch in a somewhat trance like state, touching her with his power so she could feel him.  
“Beautiful...”  
The soft murmur made the pack smile at their beta and soon they were offering soft teasing quips while the matriarch made her way through the pack, inspecting each of them.  
Once she was done the matriarch sang a soft song of acceptance before taking her consorts toward one of the larger trubzul colonies to hunt.  
“I guess that means we are welcome to stay.”  
Takeshi hummed as the dragons dropped out of sight.  
“I believe so too.”  
Tamalu was quick to agree and before long the pack converted their camp into something sturdier, better suited for a long term stay.  
  


As the sun began to set the pack settled down to rest, though no one was in the mood to sleep so they separated into small groups, some to talk, and others to focus on more intimate acts.  
Dan gathered his mates and lovers around him and asked Kiryu to join them as well.  
“I...I want to accept her request to try to sire a clutch for her...”  
His voice was soft and hesitant as he spoke, voicing a desire spurred by instinct.  
“Would you guys be okay with that?”  
“If that's what you want I'm behind you 100 percent.”  
“As am I.”  
Emelie and Ylian quickly promised they had no objections.  
“Of course it's fine love. I trust you would not feel called to someone unworthy.”  
Takeshi kissed him softly as he spoke, assuring him he didn't mind.  
“What about you Kiryu, if I'm to become your consort one day you should have a say as well.”  
Kiryu looked a bit surprised at first, then she took a moment to consider Dan's words.  
“My instincts object a bit to the risk of losing such a fine consort, but logically I know she will not steal you away from your pack, that she will merely be borrowing you.”  
“Thanks guys. This... It feels strange, but it feels right...”  
“You trust those instincts of yours and we will be here if you need us.”  
Takeshi soothed his beta before pulling him into a hug, and after a few emotional kisses he nudged him into Eric's arms, encouraging the pair to soothe each other with the help of Emelie, Ylian and Kiryu while he rose and made his way around the small groups, making sure his pack and their companions were all doing well.  
  



	3. Flight of the Matriarchs

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Flight of the Matriarchs_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Two days into their stay at the floating island the pack found themselves being guided away from the lake by a group of dragons led by the fire opal matriarch and soon they found themselves in front of a small cave formed behind a few crystal clusters.  
The area was very small so those who were able to shifted to small forms to make room, but there was still not enough room for all of them to enter at once so they divided into smaller groups.  
  


“Oh my...”  
“It's their lair.”  
“Look at those cute nests.”  
Linnéa carefully moved closer to a small oval nest hidden under an outcropping of crystal.  
“It looks almost like a puffer fish mound, but a lot smaller.”  
Each of the small nests was guarded by one of the brood guards who was gingerly tending to them.  
Most of the nests held eggs, but two of them held tiny hatchlings who were chirping and warbling, begging their caretakers for food and attention.  
  


“Aw, how adorable!”  
Linnéa cooed at the nest with slightly older nestlings before turning to the matriarch.  
“Thank you for letting us see this.”  
The answering rumble was soft, speaking of happiness, contentment and trust.  
“Is it okay if I give them a few pieces?”  
Linnéa held out a handful of the dragon cherries for the matriarch to inspect and she soon received a quick nod.  
She quickly allowed her nails to change into talons so she could cut the fruits into smaller pieces and feed the eager nestlings.  
“Now, now you greedy little rascal, let your siblings have a few pieces too.”  
She gently scolded one of the tiny dragons as it tried to push its sibling out of the way to get another piece and when it tried again despite the scolding she used a talon to flick it on the snout which made it tumble back in surprise, then voice an apologetic warble.  
“That's better.”  
She cooed softly at the confused whelp and once she had given its siblings a piece each she offered it another one.  
“Nice and careful now, you have sharp teeth.”  
She held the small piece in her talons to be on the safe side after getting nipped a few times by the eager, and somewhat uncoordinated dragons.  
  


When the dragon carefully used its front legs to take the piece of fruit from her Linnéa broke into a brilliant smile and started cooing at it again.  
“Aw, such a sweet little thing, aren't you?”  
When she reached out toward the small head the whelp chirruped and bumped its head against her finger, clearly begging to be petted or scratched.  
“I do believe we have a dragon whisperer in the making here.”  
Takeshi teased softly from the entrance of the den, he had opted to stay outside while the others had a look around, he would shift and have a look once they were done.  
Despite the teasing tone he was as proud as could be when he noted the way she was handling the cheeky whelps and it was quite obvious that the matriarch of the flight approved of the way Linnéa had scolded and punished the disobedient whelp, and how she soothed and rewarded it when it behaved.  
  


“Oh, sorry I didn't mean to hog the little rascals but they're just so cute.”  
Linnéa quickly apologized and gave each of the whelps a quick kiss on the snout before moving aside so the others could have a closer look at the nestlings.  
“Don't worry, no one is upset. Quite the contrary, we're happy you are getting along with them so well.”  
Takeshi carefully soothed her  
“Indeed, you should be proud of yourself, it's quite remarkable how easily the whelps accept you. Nestlings this young tend to be very cautious.”  
Relyn's words made Linnéa blush vividly and for a moment she was about to protest, but then she looked at the nest, and the cautious way the whelps were eyeing the others, the soft chirps replaced by low growls as they backed away to hide behind their keepers.  
  


“I guess...”  
Even to demonic hearing her words were soft, barely enough for Relyn to hear her answer.  
“You are not very good at accepting compliments, are you?”  
Relyn reached out for Linnéa and brushed his fingers along her face which made her blush rather vividly and shake her head.  
“I promise you I will not offer you empty flattery or false compliments, you have my word of honor.”  
He backed the promise with a soft warble in the Obsidian language which was essentially him swearing on his honor.  
“I know... It's just... It's not that simple...”  
When Relyn pulled her into his arms Linnéa froze for a moment, then she relaxed, and once she calmed down a bit she found that she quite enjoyed being held by the angel.  
A low warning growl from Takeshi had Relyn instantly backing away with his wings low.  
“♪♫♫.”  
The soft song was part apology, part promise, assuring Takeshi that he had no intentions of trying to steal Linnéa away from the pack.  
  


“Alpha, amo, please don't be too harsh with him.”  
Linnéa pressed herself against Takeshi and began trailing kisses along his jaw.  
“Linn?”  
There was a distinct growl in Takeshi's voice, and he was clearly struggling a bit to stay in control.  
“I enjoyed being held by Relyn, it felt very similar to you, calm and safe, but without that sexual edge.”  
“I'm sorry, my instincts are being very possessive of you.”  
“Because your instincts recognize me as a good match?”  
“Among other things.”  
“This instinct, is it why I feel this strange almost like humming sensation when I'm close to you?”  
“Probably, many describe the simiriwi as a song that is felt rather than heard.”  
“That does sound like an apt description...”  
“And are you feeling it from Relyn?”  
“No, Relyn feels like a big brother.”  
Relyn's somewhat surprised chirp quickly had their attention back on him, making him squirm slightly.  
  


“And what about you Relyn? How do you feel about our Linn?”  
There was a hint of concern in Takeshi's voice.  
“Much the same, while I **am** attracted to her she registers like a sibling rather than as a potential partner.”  
“That's good.”  
Takeshi breathed a sigh of relief, unrequited feelings could be detrimental to the stability of the pack, there was something in the way Relyn spoke though that made Takeshi pull back slightly and watch as the angel turned to Linnéa.  
“If you accept it I would be honored to call you sister.”  
For a moment Linnéa looked outright shocked, then her expression turned contemplative.  
“I have a feeling there's a deeper meaning to this that I'm ignorant of.”  
The entire pack could feel the surge of pride from Takeshi when Linnéa spoke up, asking Relyn to explain to her.  
“There is. Come, sit with me and I will try to explain.”  
Relyn patted the warm sand next to him and she quickly made herself comfortable.  
“Take, will you stay close and help me if there are questions I should ask but don't?”  
“Of course I will.”  
He took the fur he had been sitting on and moved it slightly so that he could put his head in Linnéa's lap which earned him some squirming and a huff before she settled down and began running her fingers through his hair, calming herself as much as him.  
  


“As you no doubt already know the Blood Guard have no House, we surrender that when we swear the oath to our Lord.”  
“He becomes your House, your Pack, to ensure he is your first priority.”  
Linnéa spoke softly, confirming that she knew what he was talking about, and understood why it was done.  
“Indeed, you have been paying attention.”  
“You kinda have to if you wanna keep up with these guys...”  
The soft grumble made Takeshi open his eyes and look up at her.  
“Linn, if you feel we are going too fast with all the new stuff you need to let us know so we can have a seat, just like this, and go through things. Take our time and answer any questions you may have to the best of our ability.”  
Takeshi's words made Linnéa look down at him with a soft smile.  
“Don't worry Alpha, I know, I will.”  
“That's good.”  
He didn't say anything more, instead he just closed his eyes again and enjoyed her distracted touch.  
  


“Relyn, wouldn't the other Blood Guards, and Uncle Lucy, have a say in you calling me sister?”  
Linnéa's voice carried a distinct edge of curiosity.  
“They do to a certain extent, I can call you _Mi-a_ , sister, all I want, but to formally give you the status of _Lumi-i_ , chosen sibling, which includes the right to inherit me, they would have to accept you as well.”  
“Oh, I see...”  
“I have no doubt they will accept you as a sister if I ask them to, you are caring, intelligent, and factoring in your age you are a skilled fighter and promising huntress. Your soul burns with power, and given time to discover and master your abilities you will no doubt become a force to be reckoned with, just like your fellow Children of the Shamarai.”  
The praise had Linnéa blushing vividly and the way she tensed and doubted stirred Takeshi from his state of half sleep, half meditation.  
“Linn, you should trust his words.”  
There was a slightly surprised rustle in Relyn's wings when Takeshi spoke up.  
“I...”  
Linnéa's voice trailed off and she blushed rather vividly as her old doubts surfaced.  
“It's okay, knowing your history I understand that it is hard for you to accept compliments, no matter how honest. Hopefully hearing it enough times will eventually help you accept it.”  
The soft words made Linnéa huff and accuse Relyn of sounding very much like Takeshi and Ylian which made the angel smile and thank her for the generous compliment, though, his tone was equal parts honest and teasing.  
  


Once Linnéa was calm again Relyn continued to explain quite a bit about Demon law, and Obsidian law, in regards to siblings.  
There were more kinds of siblings under demon law than were usually recognized under human law, there were blood siblings, both full and half.  
There was also House siblings, for instance children born to the mate of one of the individuals parents were considered their House siblings even if they were not blood related.  
A House sibling could also be adopted, as was the case of the girls in House Shamarai.  
Then there were Soul Siblings, often close friends who had grown close and grown to consider each other as siblings, these could choose to become _Lumi-i_ , chosen siblings, by formalizing their bond in something akin to an adoption.  
That adoption though had to be accepted by the House that was taking on a new member, even if just indirectly.  
  


“That's a lot of stuff...”  
Linnéa's soft grumble made Relyn smile at her and promise to teach her properly if she wanted him to.  
“There is one more thing I would like to ask...”  
The way she blushed and squirmed had Relyn curious, and somewhat confused as she had been calm ever since she relaxed from the compliments he had paid her.  
“What's wrong?”  
“It's kinda embarrassing...”  
“Don't worry, seeking knowledge and understanding is not something to be embarrassed about.”  
Relyn carefully tried to soothe her and encourage her to ask her question.  
“With everything we just talked about...”  
He waited silently for her to find her courage, settling for brushing his wing down her back to soothe her.  
“I need to know, to feel...”  
She fell into silence again and for a moment she focused on Hrafn, trying to distract herself but it didn't last long before determination settled in her aura.  
  


“Relyn, would you kiss me? Let me feel and understand?”  
“I would be honored to.”  
The shift in energies made Takeshi stir once again, and this time he sat up and pulled back a bit, but he remained close to see just what Linnéa had in mind, he figured she intended to use something similar to how he relayed his emotions through kisses, but to figure out her own, and Relyn's, feelings.  
Takeshi watched as Relyn gently positioned Linnéa so that he would be able to kiss her without either of them being uncomfortable, and he watched as the angel made sure to move slowly, giving Linnéa ample time to change her mind if anything felt off.  
“♪♫♫...”  
Relyn' sang a soft, warbling song as he leaned in closer, singing his praise to her heart, mind, and beauty.  
“Relyn, I don't understand Obsidian very well yet...”  
“Strong, caring, brilliant...”  
The soft praise made her blush even harder, but she didn't move away when he cupped her face.  
“Beautiful...”  
Before Linnéa could react to the words Relyn claimed her lips in a soft kiss that appeared almost chaste.  
  


Takeshi watched with avid curiosity, and a great deal of desire, as the pair shared kisses that gradually grew deeper, hungrier, and soon the kisses turned needy and by the time they broke away both were panting, radiating desire.  
Linnéa however also radiated confusion, which was what had made Relyn break the kiss to look at her, trying to figure out the reason.  
“What's wrong?”  
“This was supposed to make me less confused, not more...”  
“Confused about what?”  
“...”  
Linnéa remained silent as she steadily grew more distressed before turning to Takeshi.  
“Take..?”  
She silently begged him to understand, and explain to Relyn.  
“Don't worry Linn, I understand.”  
Takeshi rejoined them and after giving Linnéa a calming hug he turned to Relyn.  
“She is confused because she was expecting the kiss to prove that there was no sexual desire between you. _Tzelumi-i rei_ is not something that human culture is very accepting of. Many view it same as they would relations between blood siblings.”  
“Uhm, what did that you just said mean?”  
The whispered question drew their attention back to Linnéa.  
“Tzelumi-i rei refers to soul siblings who share an intimate, sexual, relationship.”  
“Like you and Sumi-chan?”  
“Mhm.”  
Takeshi hummed softly in agreement.  
“I understand that is generally not accepted in the Human Realm, but most demon cultures are very accepting of it.”  
Relyn added to the conversation, making Takeshi draw back again, he would allow the young angel to explain, it would be good for Linnéa.  
  


“That's because a House or Pack is more than just blood, right?”  
“That's right.”  
“So demons won't care if I call you brother, while still wanting to sleep with you?”  
“Some will, but most won't.”  
“And you?”  
There was a tingle of fear in her scent and aura that set both males on edge.  
“As long as your Guide and Alpha's don't have any major objection I would be very happy to call you Tzelumi-a rei. Or ♪♫ as we say in Obsidian.”  
Once again Linnéa's blush deepened slightly, then she turned to Takeshi.  
“Take?”  
“I have no objections to the two of you having a sexual relationship, neither does Em, but you should ask Ðunn and Eir as well, they will one day be your alphas.”  
He didn't think his twin daughters would object, but for the balance of their future pack it would be good if Linnéa asked them.  
“I know.”  
“Why don't you go talk to them while I have a word with Relyn?”  
“Shovel talk time huh?”  
She quipped with a wide smile as she got up.  
“Indeed.”  
Takeshi quipped back with an equally wide smile, though his showed a bit too much fangs to be considered friendly as he turned to a very confused Relyn.  
“Shovel talk?”  
The confused question had Takeshi snickering a bit before allowing his aura to run cold instantly making Relyn freeze and submit.  
“It's that talk where you're basically told that if you hurt them you'll be buried.”  
“Ah, I see.”  
Despite the amused smile Takeshi could feel that Relyn was dead serious as he lowered his wings and sang a soft promise in Obsidian.  
“Amo, I know you won't intentionally hurt her. Just be mindful of her past, her scars.”  
“I will.”  
“And do be mindful of my daughters, she may be mine for now, but one day she will become their beta.”  
“I know.”  
Relyn looked like he was about to say something more, but fell silent again as Linnéa approached along with Iðunn and Eir.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Flight of the Matriarchs_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


On the 8th day of their stay it became obvious that the energies of the place were having a powerful effect on Ylian as their pregnancy progressed at a highly accelerated rate.  
“The lesser ones, they are ready to be expelled now...”  
The mix of awe and concern in Ylian's voice had the pack moving closer, ready to support them if needed.  
“Then we should make preparations to receive them.”  
Takeshi hummed softly and allowed his aura to flow over Ylian, calming them down.  
“Julia, would you come here for a moment please?”  
  


“What's up?”  
Julia carefully moved a small whelp from her shoulder as she sat down, making sure it wouldn't fall, and once she was comfortable she placed the curious creature in her lap.  
Takeshi gave Ylian a quick glance and the shadeling offered a tired nod, asking him to explain.  
“Ylian is getting ready to expel the lesser spawns from the spawning chamber and yi will need something to carry them in while they are in their intermediate form.”  
“Intermediate form?”  
Julia's question was expected and Takeshi quickly explained.  
“Mhm, their corporeal form will look like a marble, and their shadow form a small cloud with tentacles.”  
“Sounds cute...”  
“Oh they are”  
Emelie quipped with a smile.  
“So we will make a carrier from sanctuary crystal?”  
Julia was humming with eager energy.  
“That was the plan.”  
“What do they need?”  
She gave Ylian a very expectant look.  
  


“They don't really need much, it's mostly just to keep them all in one place. But protection from energy spikes would be good.”  
“What about storing energy for them? If we make it with crystal that can hold energy then you and Take could charge it with your energy, that should both help protect them and give them a little something to feed from.”  
“I guess that could be useful to keep them calm.”  
“So, kinda like an egg carton, but holding energy and protecting from spikes, and easy to carry.”  
“Mhm...”  
“How big will they be?”  
Ylian tilted their head for a moment before reaching within to get a better feel for the spawns then they focused on one of the crystal seeds and shaped it into a small marble before focusing on a second one and making a marble with 3 times the diameter of the first one.  
They showed Julia the smaller marble first.  
“The lesser spawns will be about this size when I bring them out.”  
“Okay.”  
Handing her the second marble, they continued.  
“They will grow to about this size before they are mature enough to cling to someone without needing the carrier.”  
“Okay. I'll see if I can figure something out.”  
She quickly cleared a small area on the ground in front of her before turning to Takeshi.  
  


“Take, could you bring my crafting crate from storage please?”  
“Of course sweetie.”  
It only took him a few moments to generate the summoning circle that would bring the requested items to them.  
“Thanks!”  
She quickly began unpacking the crate and unfolded it into a small portable workstation.  
“Ylian, how many spawns does it need to be able to hold?”  
“50 of them are ready to be born, the remaining three will be a lot larger so we will make another carrier for them when they are ready.”  
“Okay.”  
Moments later she had all but forgotten about the others and was entirely focused on trying to make something for Ylian to carry their spawns in.  
  


“She's focused...”  
Relyn's amused hum as he watched Julia work made the others smile and nod.  
“Mhm.”  
“She's really good.”  
“Just wait and see.”  
The pack was eagerly praising Julia's skills which had Relyn even more curious, though he quickly regretted it when he moved closer to have a look and ended up getting swatted for his troubles when he caused a shadow to fall over the piece she was working on.  
“She's scary...”  
“Welcome to House Shamarai, where the only thing scarier than the Yemo is the females...”  
Dan's soft teasing earned him a few mock growls from the females in question and soon a friendly scuffle was spreading along the small beach, though safely away from Julia and her work.  
Takeshi held back and watched though, and when Dan allowed them to be on top for a bit before pinning them one by one and giving them a soft kiss when they submitted Takeshi flooded the bonds with pride, and amusement as Eriko, Angel, and Tamalu, all received the same treatment.  
  


It didn't take long before Julia approached Ylian while hiding something behind her back.  
“Ylian, what do you think of a design like this?”  
Julia quickly showed him an obround box and removing the simple lid revealed 10 indentations in a 3-4-3 honeycomb pattern.  
“I was thinking we could make a carrier like those tiered bento boxes. And I made this soft jelly like clay to put in there to keep them in place while they are small, then we can remove some as they grow to make sure they don't rattle around.”  
As Ylian was clearly somewhat overwhelmed, and still in their incorporeal form, Takeshi stepped in and inspected Julia's creation.  
“This should work very well. Nicely done.”  
“It's just a mock-up though, gimme a few and I'll have a proper prototype with all layers and proper lids.”  
“Okay sweetie.”  
Takeshi just smiled at her eagerness.  
“There's no need to panic, these little ones will not need to come out until after the sun has set.”  
Ylian offered her a soft smile and assured her there was no need to rush things.  
“I just wanna make sure it's perfect for them.”  
There was an eagerness and determination in her aura that was quite contagious, making the entire pack somewhat giddy.  
“I know ama.”  
Ylian reached out with a tendril of their shadows and brushed gently against the innermost layer of Julia's aura, the closest thing to a touch they were able to give in their current form.  
  


“Ylian, is it okay if we watch when it's time?”  
Amanda approach on behalf of the pack, everyone was curious about shadeling delivery and wanted to watch, but at the same time they didn't want to do anything that might put excess stress on Ylian, especially after what they had heard about dishonorable shadelings who preyed on pana who had just delivered.  
“It is. In fact, having you close makes me feel safe and calm.”  
Ylian's response triggered a wave of joy through the pack and they quickly moved closer, making themselves comfortable around Takeshi and Ylian, eagerly waiting for the birthing to begin.  
When Ylian began to squirm a bit to make themself comfortable the soft conversations came to a halt and everyone's attention was focused on them.  
“Manda, would you sing for me?”  
“Of course, anything in particular you want me to sing?”  
“Something soft and calming please.”  
“Nervous?”  
“Not really, but the calmer I am the easier it is to control my energies. And I will need a lot of control to make sure I only expel the lesser spawns.”  
“What if you can't control it?”  
“Don't worry, it won't harm the other spawns, but it would slow their development. The longer they remain the better it is for them.”  
“But more draining for you, right?”  
“It is, but with all of you so eagerly sharing your energy it has been very easy to carry these.”  
With a sigh they made themselves comfortable in Takeshi lap.  
“It's time.”  
Everyone's attention was instantly focused on them as they reached into their own form to retrieve the first spawn and moments later the small, marble-like, form was placed in Takeshi's hand where it unfurled to sample his energy and explore a bit.  
  


“Aww...”  
“So cute.”  
“It's tiny...”  
“Can I touch it?”  
“Not yet, they need to mature into their second stage of development before it's safe to let anyone but their pana and para touch them.”  
While Ylian explained Takeshi allowed the spawn to explore him for a while so that the others would get a chance to see it and once everyone had a chance to look he gently blew a breath charged with power over it to make it revert to it's corporeal form, then placed it into one of the indents in the case Julia had made.  
With the first spawn safely tucked away Takeshi turned back to Ylian who reached back in and soon they held three of the spawns and handed them to Takeshi who repeated the bonding process.  
Working together they quickly removed the lesser spawns and placed them in the carrier and once all of them were out and bonded to Takeshi he closed up the carrier and placed it next to Ylian.  
“Ylian, I added a little surprise to the carrier.”  
Julia was smiling widely as she spoke up.  
“What kind of surprise?”  
“Go on, pick it up. I think you will find it a lot easier than usual.”  
It usually took Ylian quite a bit of focus to interact with physical objects while in their incorporeal form, but Julia's words suggested that she had done something with the carrier to make it easier so they reached out without focusing on interacting.  
When the carrier was nudged by their touch they broke into a wide smile.  
“That's amazing. How did you do it?”  
“Well, I figured that adding some shadow energy to the crystal structure would make it easier for you to interact with it, and make the spawns feel more secure.”  
“That's good thinking, and absolutely correct.”  
The praise had Julia blushing for a moment before she pushed on with her explanation of how she had made the carrier.  
“Then I remembered that Dan, Meg and Kara were seeded by you which means they carry traces of your exact shadeling signature...”  
She paused for a moment to collect herself before continuing.  
“I figured that if shadeling energy made the spawns feel safer and made it easier for you to touch it while in your incorporeal form then your own signature should make that effect even stronger, so I had them help me add that to the base structure.”  
“You figured right, thank you.”  
Ylian looked at her for a moment then turned to Takeshi.  
“Amo, would you give her a nice hug from me?”  
“Of course.”  
Takeshi pulled Julia into his arms and held her tight before kissing her forehead.  
“Thank you for making my mate, the pana of my spawns, happy.”  
The soft words and deep gratitude made Julia blush and huff, but it didn't take long before she began trailing kisses along his jaw, begging for more.  
  


Julia was still quite nervous about sex, especially with Takeshi due to his raw power and desire, but his current mood had her approaching him, trying to tease him into bed.  
The spawning had pushed his protective instincts to the max, and after bonding with the spawns his alpha instincts had him calm and content, all in all, his current mood soothed her fears as every fiber in his being was primed to protect and nurture.  
  


“Oh my...”  
Tamalu smiled and offered a teasing quip when Julia's teasing invitation made Takeshi focus on her, then pounce and start kissing her in earnest.   
“Guess those two will be busy for the rest of the night...”  
Sol's addition was equally teasing, but with a hint of curiosity and she was quite open about watching them.  
“Hopefully it will help with her fears.”  
Amanda settled down nearby and began to sing a soft song meant to keep Takeshi in his current mood.  
“Fears?”  
Tamalu looked very concerned at the mention of fears.  
“She, like the rest of us, has a dark past, a past that has left her with scars.”  
Melissa gave Tamalu a highly abbreviated version of how Takeshi and Emelie had saved them which left the demoness shivering with fury and radiating a mix of pain and sympathy.  
“We are recovering well under the care of our alpha. He cares for us, protects us, and he has worked hard on helping us overcome our trauma.”  
Melissa spoke with a soft smile, carefully trying to soothe Tamalu's instinctive fury.  
“Julia suffered the worst lingering trauma, her scars run deep. Sexual interest, especially from someone stronger than her triggers those fears.”  
“And your alpha is exceptionally strong.”  
“That he is.”  
“At least that means she has a very strong Guide...”  
Tamalu's assumption made everyone smile and snicker, and tease Eric.  
  


“Wait, you are her Guide?”  
Tamalu stared at Eric in surprise and a hint of disbelief.  
“Mhm, she asked me to help her before my change, while I was still human. She was a lot stronger than me then so I didn't trigger her fears. Take and Em both sat Guardian to her though.”  
“So they can both help fight for her rights if needed.”  
“Yeah, they can.”  
Eric agreed with a soft nod, then a hint of steel entered his aura.  
“Make no mistake however, I am **not** weak, not anymore.”  
Eric had taken very well to his powers, and the lessons in martial arts and various combat techniques that Dan and Takeshi had given him.  
He had developed rapidly both in power and skill and now that ability was revealing itself in his aura, giving his energies a sharp edge of danger.  
He was however very much like Dan, that edge of danger and power only appeared when needed.  
  


“Eric, you were not weak before either, your strength was one of the things that drew both me and Take to you so strongly.”  
Dan objected to Eric hinting that he had been weak before the change.  
“I...”  
The pack didn't give Eric time to object as they closed ranks and backed Dan's statement.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Flight of the Matriarchs_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Ylian was still resting from the effort of birthing the lesser spawns when Fenrir began to grow agitated and began milling about with an increasing restlessness.  
“Fen, what's wrong?”  
Iðunn and Eir quickly picked up on the odd behavior of their shared familiar.  
 _“It's time for me to expel my clutch as well.”_  
The silent words instantly had her twin masters at her side.  
“Anything we can do to help?”  
 _“Instinct tells me to make a nest.”_  
”Nice and safe, and soft?”  
 _“Indeed.”_  
“Alright, you make sure to find a nice spot and we will get you plenty of soft stuff to use.”  
The pair quickly hurried back to the rest of the pack.  
  


“Em, it's time for Fenrir to have her babies as well, and she wants to make a nest.”  
“Alright, everyone, let's help Fen make a nice nest.”  
Emelie quickly rounded up those of the pack who were not otherwise engaged.  
“Fen, how can we help?”  
 _“Instinct tells me to dig a den, but the ground here is not suitable. And I don't want to leave the pack to find a natural den.”_  
Fenrir pawed at the thin layer of crystal soil.  
“How about we make you a whelping box from sanctuary crystal?”  
“I guess we can try.”  
Emelie quickly created what looked a bit like a crystal igloo with a fairly long entrance tunnel and Fenrir crawled into it to inspect it.  
  


“ _It feels safe.”_  
“That's good, now how about we add a big pile of soft furs and blankets?”  
 _“Okay...”_  
Emelie revealed that the top of the igloo could be opened with a hinge and soon furs had been brought in from their stores and placed on the floor, the pile of blankets and pillows were added.  
“Does that feel good?”  
 _“It does...”_  
“If you can handle it I would suggest giving birth out here on the beach though so the den doesn't get soiled.”  
 _“With the pack guarding me I think I will feel safe.”_  
“That's good.”  
Emelie nodded softly.  
“How soon do you think you will begin?”  
 _“Soon...”_  
“Would you like me to grab Take and have him join in keeping guard?”  
 _“He is the dominant alpha, it would help... But I don't want to interrupt when Julia finally has a chance to be with him without being overwhelmed by her fears.”  
_ ”Trust me, she will agree that you having a safe delivery is far more important.”  
Emelie brushed her fingers through the fur on Fenrir's head and neck to calm her down.  
  


“Take, Julia, sorry to interrupt your playtime, but Fen is about to give birth, and she would feel safer with both alphas at her side.”  
The only answer was a slight pulse of Takeshi's aura, but she could tell his focus had shifted and he was now working to finish Julia as fast as he could, which only took moments.  
“Is Fen okay?”  
Julia had barely caught her breath before inquiring about Fenrir's condition.  
“She's a bit agitated, but I think that's perfectly normal for a first time mother.”  
“I guess.”  
Julia and Takeshi quickly helped each other get cleaned up and dressed before joining the others.  
  


“Fen, how about we move to those trees, the grass there is soft and would make a good place for you to give birth, and the birthing fluids would nourish the trees.”  
Tamalu's suggestion was met with a questioning glance, then soft approval and soon the pack were gathered among the small trees they had brought water from the lake and Takeshi had brought a large stack of Omarachai towels from their stores.  
The stack consisted of scraps and damaged ones from when Emelie had been studying the process of making the chamois style towels.  
  


They all waited patiently while Fen grew increasingly agitated and began pacing back and forth between the trees as her breathing began to become labored and irregular, showing that the birthing process had begun.  
“It's okay Fen, you are safe here, just make yourself comfortable and let us know if you need anything.”  
Takeshi focused on saturating his aura with the aspects of his power that was alpha and protection, which was unusually easy in the wake of Ylian's spawning.  
 _“I know...”_  
Her silent voice was slightly strained as she laid down under one of the trees and began panting and pushing.  
It took about 10 minutes of panting and straining before Fenrir turned around and started cleaning something that they couldn't see, then she turned to them with an egg gently held in her jaws.  
 _“Alpha, will you take it and keep it safe?”_  
“Of course Fen. Do you want me to wipe it clean with a moist cloth?”  
 _“Please.”_  
Takeshi held out his hand and Fenrir gently dropped the egg into his hands before starting to pace again, waiting for the next one to slide into position.  


He was slightly surprised at the weight of the black egg, it was the size of a large goose egg, but it was easily twice the weight.  
As he carefully cleaned the egg the others were watching with avid curiosity.  
“Beautiful...”  
“Look at that colour...”  
“What does it feel like?”  
He ignored the eager questions while carefully cleaning the egg before holding it out so they could look closer at it.  
“It's quite warm, and surprisingly heavy.”  
“Can I touch it?”  
Takara's question was aimed as much to Fenrir as to Takeshi.  
_“You can, but please, be gentle.”_   
“Of course Fen.”  
As Takara reached out toward the egg there was a low warning rumble from Yami as his instincts objected, he had been fine with Takeshi as part of his instincts still recognized Takeshi as being part of himself.  
“It's okay Yami, I won't hurt your baby.”  
Takara gently reassured Yami and once he was calm she reached out again to touch the egg and this time Yami remained silent, though vigilant.  
“Wow, it's really warm, and soft, like leather.”  


After everyone had a chance to touch the egg Takeshi placed it in a basket lined with fire crystal sand and soft towels and patiently waited for Fenrir to finish laying the next egg, and once she had sated her own instinct to clean it she gave it to him to place together with the first one.  
It took nearly 3 hours for her to lay all 12 eggs and once she was done she was quite exhausted.  
“Fen would you like me to clean you and carry you back to camp?”  
Takeshi offered to care for her and she responded with a soft whine.  
_“Please.”_   
With her silent permission Takeshi took one of the towels and wetted it before using it to clean away as much of the birthing fluids as he could.  
“How about we use that small stream that regulates the lake to make sure we get it all out of your fur?”  
_“Okay.”_   
He carefully picked her up and Emelie took the basket with the eggs to make sure Fenrir didn't lose sight of them.  
“Why don't the rest of you prepare food while we get Fen cleaned up.”  
“Okay!”  
The pack quickly headed toward the camp, but Nelly hung back along with Iðunn and Eir.  


“Fen, is there anything in particular you want?”  
Nelly was fuzzing slightly over Fenrir, concerned about how unstable her energies were.  
 _“Do we have any bonemeal?”_  
“Of course, how about I mix some bonemeal with that feed we made from gong pinkies?”  
During one of the jobs to eradicate gong nests they had killed a large number of newborn gong that were not really suitable for food, so they had ground them up for animal feed and put into stasis storage.  
 _“That sounds good.”_  
“Alright, anything else? Maybe a broad spectrum mineral supplement and some extra fat?”  
 _“I guess that might be wise. My reserves are drained...”_  
“Okay, I'll see to it, you make sure to relax while Take takes care of you.”  
 _“I will.”_  
“Iðunn, Eir, would you come with me please.”  
Nelly gave the twins a fairly strong nudge, adding a hint of authority to the energy, demanding they obey.  
“Nel?”  
They both questioned her uncharacteristic demand which made her give a slightly sharper flare, enforcing her position as an elder in the pack.  
It was a test to see if they would submit to her authority and after a few moments they did, and once they had she silently explained her reasoning.  
 _“If you are there Fen will try to be strong for you rather than give in to her exhaustion and allow herself to be cared for.”  
“Alright...”  
“I guess...”_  
The two quickly followed to help Nelly make food for their beloved familiar.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Flight of the Matriarchs_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Fen, how are you feeling?”  
Takeshi kept his voice low and calm as he worked on cleaning Fenrir's fur with a mix of demon soap and power, allowing the small trickle of water to rinse away the soap and carry it and the birthing fluids away from the lake toward a small crack in the giant geode that emptied into the ocean below.  
 _“Very tired.”_  
As Nelly had predicted Fenrir gave in to her exhaustion once her masters were out of range.  
“Do you think the food Nel is making and rest will be enough, or do you need some pure prana?”  
 _“I don't know, but I wouldn't say no if you are willing to share some of your energy with me.”_  
“Alright then, relax and let me restore you a bit.”  
Sifting through his energies Takeshi sought out the parts that were shadow and dragon, then allowed the power to flow through his aura and wash over Fenrir, drying her and allowing her to absorb his raw power to replenish herself and by the time she was dry her energies felt a lot better.  
“Feel better now?”  
 _“A lot, thank you alpha.”_  
“Then let's get you back to our dear twins and Yami before they start worrying.”  
The only answer to his suggestion was a wagging tail and a few licks to the underside of his jaw.  
  


“Here you go girls, one freshly bathed bitch.”  
“Take!”  
“Language!”  
There were a few teasing complaints at his choice of words, but none were serious, he did however drop to work off his punishment for crude language, knowing full well that the reason for their scolding was to get a show.  
“Fen, do you want me to put your eggs in the whelping box right away, or do you want to keep them here while you eat?”  
Emelie ignored the antics of the pack to see what Fenrir wanted her to do with the eggs and after a moment of silence the wolf whuffed softly.  
 _“Can you put them next to where we eat please? I think I want to keep them close for now.”_  
“Of course sweetie.”  
Emelie reached out and gave Fenrir's ear a gentle tweak before moving over to the pack and setting down the basket at the edge of one of the piled of fur and bedding.  
  


“Take, can we talk a bit?”  
Iðunn gave Takeshi's aura a gentle nudge while she and Eir watched Fenrir approach and be greeted, and inspected, by Yami before heading toward the food Nelly had made for her.  
“Of course ama.”  
“Privately?”  
“Of course.”  
He reached out for her mind and moments later Eir joined the link as well.  
 _“What can I do for my girls?”  
“We have a few questions about Fenrir...”_  
The hint of concern in Iðunn's tone instantly erased the teasing from Takeshi's energies and he focused on soothing them, offering them what emotional support he could without knowing what had them worried.  
 _“We have been wondering...”  
“Fenrir has been so different while carrying.”  
“Will she stay that way, or will the familiar aspect recede and leave her like an animal again?”_  
As usual their words, thoughts, came in a jumble, one completing the words of the other.  
 _“I don't know sweetie. But we could ask the Mother and see if she can answer it.”  
“Okay.”  
“When can we do it?”  
“Well, if you are willing to step into my mind we could do it right now.”_  
For a moment they just looked at him in silence, but he could sense that they were communicating with each other as they did.  
 _“Okay...”  
“What do we need to do?”  
“First we need to eat and have a word with the others to let them know we will be unavailable for a while.”  
“Do we have to tell them why?”  
“Of course not. You tell them as much as you are comfortable with and I will just tell them to ask you.”  
“Okay.”  
“Thanks.”_  
Pulling back from the bond Takeshi focused on ushering the girls to join the meal and to sate his own hunger, all while taking the time to explain to the rest of the pack that he would be retreating for a while with Iðunn and Eir to help them work on accessing and making use of the mindscape.  
With food out of the way Takeshi took Iðunn and Eir and moved off to the side where they wouldn't be disturbed, it could be quite unsettling to be pulled out of the mindscape if something disrupted it.  
  


“Okay, start by relaxing and opening the bond, you need to be in a similar state of mind as when accessing the dreamscape. While you do that I will enter my own mindscape then use the bond to pull you in.”  
He gave them a quick explanation of how he would bring them into his own mindscape before settling down to watch them, moments later they both scooted closer.  
“Can we use you as a pillow?”  
“Of course.”  
He preferred sitting while meditating, but if they wanted to lay down he would humor them, it was far easier for him, with many years of experience, to do what needed to be done even if he wasn't entirely comfortable than it would be for them.  
While Iðunn and Eir squirmed around a bit to get comfortable Takeshi allowed himself to drift into a light meditation, which he found harder than usual, his instincts telling him to stay focused on the pack, especially the vulnerable new mother and pana but he carefully suppressed the instinct by focusing on his trust in the power of his pack.  
  


Once he could sense they had entered the dreamscape Takeshi reached out through the bonds and gently brought them into his mindscape and for a moment they just looked around with wide eyes.  
“Wow...”  
“It's beautiful...”  
“So calm...”  
Takeshi just followed them as they walked around the large garden that was his mindscape, allowing them to get used to the feeling of being in his mind.  
“It's based on my mother's favorite Japanese garden.”  
“You have happy memories from there, don't you?”  
For a moment Iðunn's words made him pause, then he turned to her with a soft smile.  
“I do, it was one of the few times she would relax and enjoy herself away from the burdens of being the wife of the head of such a prestigious family as the Kiryu.”  
“And seeing her calm and happy made you calm and happy?”  
“Indeed.”  
“That's an alpha thing, isn't it?”  
“Mhm.”  
He hummed while nudging them to move toward the back of the garden where a slightly altered version of the Kiryu temples was located, and beyond its gates, in the inner sanctum, the well that was the Blessing.  
  


“Wow, is this how the temple really looks?”  
Eir was looking around with wide eyes, they had only seen pictures of the Kiryu estate.  
“For the most part. In the real temple this inner sanctum is a room with a ceiling housing a statue of Kiryu's eastern form.”  
“Oh, okay.”  
“Once we get back to the Human Realm I'll make sure to plan an extended trip to Japan and show you girls around.”  
“Linn will love that.”  
“I bet she will.”  
Takeshi quipped with a soft huff of laughter.  
“Will Hiroto be okay returning to Japan?”  
Iðunn managed to sound so concerned Takeshi couldn't help laughing, and hugging her.  
“Hiro will be fine. Roto however will no doubt react very badly if the Tengu Elders try to challenge the mating.”  
“How badly?”  
“They want to break the mating to have him mated to a pure-blood tengu female, and there is only one way to break a tengu mating once the youma has made the choice...”  
It took a few moments for them to grasp what he was saying, then twin grows were heard along with a flare of energy and emotion that was pure alpha protectiveness.  
“Don't worry, I don't intend to allow those mottled old crows to harm the Pack in any way.”  
“We know.”  
“We're just a bit worried about Roto's emotional progress...”  
“Roto has been really good for Linn...”  
“Indeed he has, and she has been good for him. Her easy trust of Roto has given him a deeper reason to fight to learn control.”  
The conversation was interrupted as mist began to emerge from the mirror surface of the well and a soft, haunting song carried through the surprisingly warm mist.  
“The Mother is here.”  
She didn't really need introducing, Iðunn and Eir both recognized the power that had changed them.  
  


“Why am I not surprised.”  
“Dad, you're such a dog.”  
Both girls teased and quipped as Takeshi greeted the Avatar of Life with a deep kiss that held all his gratitude and love for the family that the Blessing had allowed him to gain and protect.  
“Be nice to your father, you know how hard it is for him to express his emotions.”  
The Avatar mock scolded with a teasing smile.  
“We know.”  
Both agreed with a tone that managed to sound fond and indulging which made Takeshi mock whine and accuse them of being mean.  
“As much as I enjoy being able to meet you like this I am afraid our time is limited. So ask what you came to ask and I shall answer if I am able.”  
”Is something wrong?”  
Takeshi quickly became worried, recalling the last time the Avatar had told them that time was of the essence.  
“Worry not young Alpha, the Fates have been hard on you to temper you for what is needed, but this time there is no danger, merely something I know you will want to witness.”  
The Avatar smiled at them as she walked over to the low stone bench at the edge of the small garden and sat down.  
  


“You wished to ask me something?”  
“Yeah.”  
“We're a bit worried about Fenrir.”  
“You have inherited your father's kind heart and powerful alpha instincts. It is in your nature to care and worry for what is yours.. Go ahead, ask your question and I will try to answer”  
The twins shared a quick look, then Iðunn spoke up.  
“Fenrir has been so different ever since Take's heat. And we were hoping you could tell if that is going to be a permanent change or if she will revert? And will she be able to take care of her babies if she does?”  
The Mother hummed softly and they could sense that something else, something powerful, was touching Takeshi's mindscape and Takeshi's soft grumble about fate made it quite clear he was familiar with the power.  
“The Fates have permitted me to answer your questions.”  
Iðunn and Eir both breathed a sigh of relief as they focused on the Avatar to hear what she had to say.  
She will remain as she is now. In order to make her able to breed with Yami she needed to evolve into something similar to him, something more than the lesser creature she was, and to do that I changed the aspect of her that is familiar, merged it with the part construct, part life-form to form a true life-form, this cannot be undone.”  
Iðunn and Eir both hummed and nodded their understanding before sharing another look, and moving on to the next question on their minds.  
  


“Is it possible to make new familiars for us so she can be free to focus on her new life, on her own family?”  
“Of course. She will retain the abilities of a familiar though. And her offspring will inherit the ability.”  
“That's good, then we can still talk to her. And talk to them when they hatch and grow up.”  
“When you have found a suitable pair of creatures to take her place, call for me. But for now, you should return.”  
“We will!”  
“Thank you!”  
Takeshi could feel a strong sense of approving amusement as the ancient entity withdrew from his mind, and he focused on guiding the girls back to their own minds and bodies.  
  


“Welcome back, did you get the answers you were looking for?”  
Emelie greeted them as they returned to where the rest of the group were gathered.  
“Yeah, we did.”  
“That's good. Anything you would care to share?”  
She gave them a slight nudge as they had clearly been quite concerned about something before their little session with Takeshi.  
“Other than that we were worried about Fenrir and now we're not, no.”  
“Alright girls, just remember, the pack is here for you if you need to talk, about anything.”  
“We know.”  
Both practically chirped before scooting over to Relyn to make themselves comfortable in his lap, making the young Blood Guard turn as black as his wings.  
  


The trio had barely had time to get settled back with the rest of the group when their attention was drawn toward the other side of the small lake where a group of dragons had gathered and were approaching, led by the young matriarch and her two consorts.  
The group walks right up to them and the young matriarch steps up to Kiryu and begins to sing, the sing is soft and carries haunting tones of concern, sadness and confusion with a slight edge of something dangerous, a threat.  
“What is she saying?”  
Eyes locked onto Kiryu, Takeshi, and Amanda as they were the only ones to understand dragonsong on a level that would allow them to translate it into words the others could understand.  
  


“She is concerned about Kiryu, confused about why such an old and powerful female is not fertile, not a brood mother. And she is adding a hint of threat to her song, promising she will fight us if we are the cause of Kiryu's lack of fertility.”  
Amanda translated with a soft voice, most of her attention focused on picking up the nuances of the layered, multi-frequency, song.  
“Oh...”  
She falls silent and just stares at the gathered dragons, and her expression is reflected in Takeshi's face as well, while Kiryu squirms slightly.  
“What?”  
“Whats going on?”  
“The Matriarch, she's offering Kiryu the Ascension Flight.”  
“Not her alone, they are offering a Flight of the Matriarchs...”  
Kiryu's awed tone instantly had everyone's attention back on her, asking her about the significance of it as there obviously was something more to it than just her ascending.  
  


“The presence of more than one Matriarch changes things a bit. An ascension flight can mean two different things, the first being a coming of age ceremony of sorts that unlocks our fertility...”  
“And the other.”  
The question came quickly as Kiryu's voice trailed off.  
“An ascension as in taking a crown, or position of power.”  
“A flight of matriarchs usually only gather to accept a new Supreme, a Queen who reigns over a territory with multiple flights.”  
Tamalu's voice held a hesitant awe as well as she spoke softly adding her own knowledge about dragons.  
“So the larger matriarch is the Supreme of this territory?”  
Takara was the first to engage Tamalu for more information.  
“For now at least, but I think she is about to choose Kiryu as her second. Or maybe bow down to her.”  
As the larger matriarch stopped signing everyone looked at Kiryu, waiting to see what she would do.  
  


For a while she was silent, then she turned to Takeshi.  
“Takeshi Kiryu of House Shamarai, Abyss-winged Life-champion, wielder of my Blood, Blade and Name, will you fly with me as Prime consort?”  
“I will.”  
Takeshi didn't hesitate and the moment he had answered he shifted, and Kiryu turned to Dan.  
“Dan Lindgren of House Shamarai, Storm-winged Heart-seer, will you fly with me as Prime consort?”  
“I would be honored to.”  
When Dan actually kneeled down next to her and placed a kiss on her snout before shifting the rest of the pack and their guests erupted into teasing snickers and quips.  
The young matriarch just huffed at their antics and proceeded to inspect Takeshi's full dragon form before singing soft tones of approval, and desire.  
She didn't bother with Dan though as she had inspected him closely before breeding with him.  
The group watched as the dragons took to the skies, they wouldn't go far, but they would be away for a while.  
  


“Why she add those names?”  
Takara poked at Tamalu to try to get some answers.  
“Those were dragon names, translated into your English. The first part describes their wings, and the second part an important aspect of who they are.”  
“So Take is Life-champion because he's so protective and the chosen of the Mother? And Dan, Heart-seer, that's because he's an empath, right?”  
“I'm not entirely sure, but I think so.”  
“So you would be ♫-winged Creature-mother? Because your wings look like the night sky, and you care for all your little creatures like a mother.”  
Takara used an Obsidian word that described a starry night sky.  
”Dragonsong makes the names far more complex, but I guess that would be one translation.”  
Tamalu paused for a moment, then gave Takara a very emotional hug.  
“Thank you for offering me such nice names.”  
Takara just blushed, then took a page out of Hugin's Book of Coping and fled to her fox form before hiding under Eriko's tails.  
“She's such a precious little sweetheart.”  
Tamalu's voice was teasing, but everyone could feel the truth of her words, which had Takara trying to play off her embarrassment with a cackle of hissing barks and bristling tails.  
“Indeed she is.”  
Eriko just smiled and ignored Takara's little hissyfit as she untangled the kit from her tails and deposited her in Tamalu's lap and it took mere moments for the dragonkin to find just the right spot to scratch to make sure Takara settled down.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Flight of the Matriarchs_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Look there they are!”  
Carol called out eagerly as she spotted the dragons coming over the ridge at the far end of the floating island.  
The collective aura of the group was vibrating with anticipation as the dragons landed and they all stared at the way Kiryu's appearance had changed, the fire more pronounced and the crest of horns on her head had grown far more elaborate.  
“Wow.”  
“You look amazing!”  
Kiryu quickly found herself swarmed by the pack and her new instincts sang at having such a wonderful flight at her side, young, but eager, powerful, and loyal beyond what she words to describe.  
As they began reaching out for her, touching her, she focused on her flames, making sure they wouldn't hurt those who were hers to protect, part of her was aware that they were in truth Takeshi's rather than hers, but the new instincts that had awakened claimed Takeshi as her own, one of her Prime Consorts, and that meant that by extension, all that was his these instincts now considered to be hers.  
  


“You feel a bit different...”  
“Stronger...”  
The voices were soft as aura brushed against her own and the feeling of curious acceptance was soothing the new instincts beautifully.  
“I am stronger. It would seem my power was sealed in a way similar to how Shadelings and Lilim have theirs sealed before they go through the metamorphosis, or are unsealed by Lilith.”  
As she spoke Ylian moved closer to her and used their power to gently tease her fire into rising.  
“Now that I can feel your true power there is no doubt that you are a Shirai among my kin. I can't really tell much about who the mother of your sire was, but based on how you feel I would say she was some kind of fire based elemental.”  
“My line is clear in my soul now, the one who birthed my sire was sired to Wadjet by a Djinn.”  
“Wait, one of your grandmothers was the Egyptian Serpent Goddess of Fire?”  
Julia was gaping at Kiryu which made everyone snicker at her expression.  
“Indeed she was.”  
The mention of Wadjet, and the Egyptian pantheon made Jackal move closer with a rather odd expression, then he stopped before Kiryu, shifted and kneeled.  
When he spoke up he spoke an old form of pre-coptic Egyptian that left the group rather bewildered as they could feel the power in the words, but they were unable to understand them.  
  


“I may not have understood your words, but I can feel your intent. Thank you.”  
“I may be nothing but a baseborn mongrel to the Medjay, but I still honor the Avatars of our people, and you are blood of their blood.”  
The self-deprecating words instantly shifted the attention of the pack, Kiryu's changed momentarily forgotten as the focus shifted to protecting one of their own.  
  



End file.
